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THE 


RAILROAD    SYSTEM 


OF 


CALIFORNIA. 


OAKLAND  AND  VICINITY. 


STATE  UNIVERSITY,  ETC. 


SAN    FRANCISCO: 
J.  H.  Carmany  &  Co.,  "Overland  Monthly  "  Printing  House,  409  Washington  St. 

1871. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


Information  respecting  Oakland  and  its  environs  will  be  interesting  to  rnc 
not  only  in  California,  but  abroad.  The  terminus  of  a  great  system  of  'railro;.^, 
in  rapid  course  of  construction,  must  command  the  attention  of  all  who  are  now, 
or  prospectively,  interested  in  the  commerce,  or  in  the  securities,  of  the  tributary 
roads  ;  and  this,  being  the  seat  of  numerous  educational  establishments,  including 
the  State  University,  parents  whose  children  are  here,  and  those  looking  forward 
to  sending  their  children  here,  will  feel  interested  in  acquiring  information  con- 
cerning the  place  and  its  surroundings.  Thus,  the  calculating  merchant,  the 
shrewd  operator,  and  thousands  of  thoughtful  parents,  will  be  gratified  alike  in 
perusing  the  following  pages. 


John  B.  Felton, 
Benjamin  Haynes, 
James  B.  La  Rue, 

Oakland,  October,  1S71. 


Alexander  Campbell, 
Hiram  Tubbs,  • 
J.  B.  Scotchler, 


J.  West  Martin, 
Geo.  C.  Potter, 
J.  S.  Emery. 

Ptiblicatio7i  Committee. 


yep  i 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


r_r» 


We  publish,  herewith,  a  reliable  and  interesting  map  of  the  railroad  system  of 
California  which  is  concentrating  at  Oakland ;  also,  a  map  of  Oakland  and  its  en- 
virons.    In  the  following  pages  the  reader  will  find  a  full  explanation  of  both. 

THE   TWO   GREAT   COMPANIES. 

The  Central  Pacific  and  the  Southern  Pacific  now  own,  or  control,  all  the  rail- 
ed roads  and  railroad  routes  which  are  shown  on  the  map,  except  the  Stockton  and 
2^  Copperopolis,  and  the  projected  line  from  San  Diego  to  Fort  Mohave.  Although 
>^  distinct  organizations,  the  affairs  of  the  two  companies  are  controlled  by  the  same 
2§  men.  The  concentration  of  the  railroad  system  at  Oakland  may  be  regarded  as  a 
S2  fixed  fact. 

""'  NATURE   HAS   ORDAINED   IT. 

The  trunk  lines  in  California  which  have  been  subsidized  by  Government,  were 
projected  with  more  reference  to  subsidies  than  to  the  economy  of  railroad  com- 
merce. Of  this,  the  Western  and  the  Southern  Pacific  are  notable  instances. 
The  Mt.  Diablo  range,  extending  south  until  it  joins  the  Coast  range,  near  San 
Luis  Obispo,  is  the  great  obstacle  to  direct  communication,  by  rail,  between  San 
Francisco  and  the  interior,  south  of  the  3Sth  parallel. 

THE   LIVERMORE   AND   THE   PANOCHE   PASSES 

Are,  respectively,  the  routes  of  the  Western  Pacific  and  the  Southern  Pacific 
The  altitude  of  the  former  is  686  feet ;  that  of  the  latter  is  2,200  feet;  and  these 
are  the  most  available  passes  in  the  range.  Every  20  feet  rise  in  a  railroad  grade 
is  equivalent  to  an  additional  mile  of  level  track;  and  every  360  degrees  curvature 
is  equivalent  to  a  loss  of  half  a  mile*     Hence,  the  distance  from  Bantaf  to  NilesJ 

♦Equating  for  Grades. -The  result  of  experiments,  carefully  conducted,  gives  as  the  resistance  to 
motion  of  one  ton,  moving  on  a  well-built  level  railroad,  about  S%  pounds,  or  the  weight  which,  hanging 
freely  over  a  pulley,  will  overcome  the  friction  of  one  ton.  This  resistance  to  motion  is  a  constant  fraction  of 
the  weight  moved,  and  is  its  i  -  264th  part.  This  is  the  friction  of  the  load.  If,  now,  the  plane  be  elevated 
from  a  level  to  a  rise  of  1  -  264th  its  length,  according  to  well  -  known  mechanical  laws,  one  pound  will,  on  this 
plane  sustain  264  pounds,  or  &%  pounds  will  sustain  one  ton  ;  and  the  fraction,  1  -  264,  representing  a  rise  of  20 
feet  in  a  mile,  it  follows  that  on  this  grade  the  effect  of  gravity  is  equal  to  that  of  friction,  and  in  order  to 
produce  motion  up  this  grade,  twice  the  power  must  be  applied  that  would  be  required  were  it  on  a  level ;  and 
as  it  is  a  well-known  mechanical  law  that  the  same  amount  ef  power  is  expended  in  raising  a  weight  through 
a  given  height,  whatever  may  be  the  angle  of  the  plane  upon  which  the  motion  is  effected,  it  follows  that  for 


yy; 


fimt 4  >*.>'*»»■ 


4  THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

(see  map  and  table  of  distances)  being  44  miles,  we  must  add  34  miles  to  arrive  at 
its  equivalent  in  level  track,  which  would  be  78  miles.  We  leave  the  loss  by  curv- 
atures out  of  the  question  at  present.  After  experiencing  the  enormous  expense  of 
running  this  part  of  the  road,  and  keeping  it  in  repair,  the  Company  is  about  con- 
structing a  branch  from  Banta,  to  run  around  the  mountains,  via  Antioch  and 
Martinez,  to  Oakland.     By  this  route  trains  can  be  brought 

FROM   THE   SAN  JOAQUIN   VALLEY   TO    OAKLAND   ON    A   LEVEL   ROAD. 

The  distance  from  Banta  to  Antioch,  over  a  level  plain,  is  30  miles ;  from 
Antioch  to  Martinez,  via  the  shore,  18  miles;  from  Martinez  to  Oakland,  via  shore 
and  valley,  31  miles  —  making,  in  all,  79  miles,  with  no  curvatures  of  consequence. 
Now,  considering  the  loss  by  curvatures  and  grades,  on  the  mountain  roads ;  the 
expense  of  keeping  extra  engines  constantly  on  duty ;  the  excessive  wear  and  tear, 
etc.,  etc. —  the  reader  can  understand  what  he  would  not  suspect  from  merely  ex- 
amining the  map,  to  wit :  that  passengers  and  freight  from  the  San  Joaquin  Valley, 
and  from  all  the  country  east  of  Banta,  tributary  to  the  Western  Pacific,  will  be 
transported  from  Banta  to  Oakland,  via  Martinez,  much  quicker,  and  very  much 
cheaper,  than  it  is  possible  to  transport  them  from  Banta  to  Niles  —  a  point  22 
miles  south  from  Oakland,  and  40  miles  from  Mission  Bay,  San  Francisco,  even 
by  the  much  talked  of  route  via  Ravenswood  and  the  "shore  line." 

The  obstacles  to  be  encountered  on  the  proposed  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
in  crossing  the  Mt.  Diablo  Range,  via  Panoche  Pass,  are  much  more  serious  than 
those  in  the  Livermore  crossing.  In  the  fifty  miles  breadth  of  mountains  between 
Hollister  and  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  the  sinuosities  of  the  road  will  be  unprece- 
dented, and  the  elevation  to  be  overcome  (2,200  feet)  will  add  an  equivalent  of  no 
miles,  as  compared  with  a  level  road.  It  is  practically  nearer  from  the  Junction 
(north  of  Tulare  Lake),  via  the  valley  route,  to  Banta,  than  from  the  Junction  to  the 
summit  of  the  Panoche  Pass ;  and  the  Southern  Pacific  trains,  starting  from  the 
Junction,  will  reach  Oakland,  via  the  valley  route,  Banta,  and  Martinez,  sooner 
than  it  will  be  possible  for  them  to  reach  Gilroy,  via  the  mountain  road. 

every  20  feet  in  height  that  we  ascend  on  a  railroad,  we  expend  an  amount  of  power  equivalent  to  the  trans- 
port of  that  weight  over  one  mile  of  level ;  and  this  holds  true  whatever  the  grade  may  be.  Equating  for 
grades  with  a  view  to  a  comparison  of  lines,  then,  consists  in  adding  to  the  measured  distance  one  mile  for 
each  and  every  twenty  feet  of  ascent  on  the  respective  routes.  —  Appleton's  Encyclopedia  of  Mechanics. 
Equating  for  Curves.  —  Direct  motions  on  levels  or  inclines  are  affected  less  by  disturbing  causes  than 
motion  in  curves  ;  for,  in  addition  to  the  irregularities  growing  out  of  the  imperfections  of  the  curved  track 
and  the  varying  elements  of  the  curved  motion  in  practice,  are  to  be  added  all  the  disturbing  causes  which 
exist  in  the  first  case.  This  has,  as  yet,  prevented  that  rigorous  solution  of  the  latter  problem,  which  is  to  be 
desired,  and  which  is  essential  to  a  true  comparison,  a  priori,  of  the  cost  of  movement  on  curved  roads.  It 
is,  as  yet,  entirely  an  empirical  formula  deduced  from  a  few  experiments,  but  has  been  used  for  the  purpose  of 
comparison  of  routes  by  distinguished  engineers,  and  is  the  best  we  can  offer  with  our  present  knowledge  of 
the  subject.  We  find  by  the  experiments  referred  to  above,  that  a  curve  of  400  feet  radius  doiMes  the  resist- 
ance. In  propelling  a  train,  then,  through  an  entire  circumference  of  such  a  curve,  we  expend  twice  the 
power  that  would  be  consumed  in  traveling  an  equal  distance  in  a  right  line.  Taking,  then,  the  analogy 
afforded  by  motion  on  ascents  as  compared  with  levels  as  a  guide,  and  we  conclude  ^at  the  same  power 
would  be  expended  in  turning  through  an  entire  circle,  -whatever  may  be  its  radius,  (this,  of  course,  must  be 
understood  as  confined  to  certain  limits) ;  hence,  for  every  circle  of  360  degrees,  we  must  add  for  the  expen- 
diture of  power  on  a  right  line  of  the  same  length,  the  circumference  of  a  circle  described  with  the  radius  of 
double  resistance,  found  by  experiment  as  above  to  be  400  feet ;  this  will  be  half  a  mile.  Equating  for  curves 
consists,  then,  in  adding  to  the  measured  distance  one-half  mile  for  each  and  every  three  hundred  and 
sixty  degrees  of  curvature  on  the  respective  routes. — Appleton's  Encyclopedia  of  Mechanics. 

t  Banta  is  on  the  line  of  the  Western  Pacific,  three  miles  west  of  the  San  Joaquin  River. 

t  Niles  is  on  the  Alameda  Plain,  opposite  to  the  gap  where  the  railroad  enters  the  hills. 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA.  5 

According  to  General  Palmer's  report,  grades  will  be  encountered  in  the 
Panoche  Pass  where  it  will  require  four  or  five  extra  engines  to  perform  what  one 
engine  will  accomplish  on  the  valley  road.  Thus,  in  railroading,  it.  is  true  that  a 
pot-handle  is  longer  standing  up  than  lying  down  ;  and  that  the  longest  way  round 
is  often  the  shortest  way  home. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  demonstrate  that  the  great  passenger  and  freight 
route  to  Oakland  and  San  Francisco  will 

APPROACH   OAKLAND   FROM   THE   NORTH. 

The  road  from  Martinez  to  Oakland  will  also  constitute  the  connecting  link  of  the 
"air-line  road"  between  San  Francisco  and  the  Central  Pacific  overland  road,  via 
Sacramento ;  between  San  Francisco  and  the  road  to  Puget's  Sound,  traversing  a 
continuous  line  of  productive  valleys  in  California,  Oregon,  and  Washington  ;  it  will 
connect  with  the  projected  road  which  will  tap  the  Sacramento  Valley  west  of  the 
river,  and  extend  to  Red  Bluff;  it  will  unite  with  the  system  of  roads  which  are 
tapping  Napa,  Sonoma,  Petaluma,  Santa  Rosa,  and  the  Russian  River  Valleys. 

THE  LINE   APPROACHING   US   FROM   THE   SOUTH, 

Even  though  it  can  not  successfully  tap  the  San  Joaquin  Valley^s  yet  of  much 
importance.  The  Santa  Clara  Valley,  alone,  embraces  a  vast  area  of  highly  product- 
ive land,  and  is  capable  of  supporting  a  larger  population  than  some  of  the  New 
England  States.  Extending  southerly  to  Santa  Barbara  is  a  succession  of  smaller 
valleys,  to  which  we  will  hereafter  refer.  That  section  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
road  west  of  the  Panoche  Pass,  in  connection  with  the  projected  Coast  Line,  will, 
therefore,  do  a  large  business,  both  in  passengers  and  freight.  San  Jose"  —  the 
point  of  divergence  of  the  roads  running  north  —  is  ten  miles  nearer  Oakland  than 
San  Francisco.  The  Oakland  road  is  level,  and  the  San  Francisco  road  has 
severe  grades.  Supposing,  however,  the  places  were  equidistant,  and  the  roads 
equally  level,  the  export  products  would  seek  Oakland,  where  the  economy  of 
shipping  exceeds  the  possibilities  at  San  Francisco. 

TERMINAL   FACILITIES. 

The  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  has  secured,  in  and  about  Oakland, 
facilities  for  the  conjunction  of  railroad  and  water  traffic  unequaled  in  the  world, 
and  unattainable  elsewhere  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  owns,  in  fee  simple  forever, 
an  area  of  seventy  acres  fronting  on  the  Bay,  in  the  western  part  of  the  city,  which 
it  purchased  as  a  site  for  machine-shops,  etc.  It  also  owns  an  area  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  on  the  water  front,  extending  from  the  former  tract  toward 
Goat  Island,  with  a  frontage  of  nearly  half  a  mile  on  ship  channel.  It  also  owns 
extensive  reservations  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  estuary  of  San  Antonio,  and 
it  has  secured  the  right  of  way  for  tracks  leading  to  them  from  the  main  trunk. 
It  also  owns,  in  proximity  to  Oakland,  ninety  acres  of  land  suitable  foita  car-yard 
and  other  uses;  'and  a  large  tract  of  hilly  ground  whence  it  can  obtain,  ad  libitum, 
earth  and  gravel  for  filling  purposes. 

The  improvements  at  ship  channel  are  described  elsewhere  in  an  article  taken 
from  the  Alta;  but  instead  of  being  completed,  as  the  Alta  presumed,  they  con- 
stitute a  small  part  of  a  grand  design.  The  Company  is  exempt  from  the  opera- 
tion of  State  and  municipal  laws  respecting  wharfage,  dockage,  and  tolls;  and  it 
imposes  no  charges  upon  vessels  receiving  or  delivering  freight. 


6  THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Infinite  credit  is  due  Messrs.  Stanford  &  Co.  for  having  thus  early  secured  the 
estate  and  franchises  which  will  afford  suoh  invaluable  and  unbounded  terminal 
facilities ;  and  it  is  a  subject  for  congratulation  to  the  people  of  the  coast  at  large 
that,  while  the  railroad  system  is  developing  industrial  resources  with  unexampled 
rapidity,  means  are  assured  for  the  most  economical  handling  of  exports  and 
imports.  The  reflection  that  the  most  productive  farming,  pasture,  vineyard,  and 
orchard  lands  of  California  and  Oregon  are  being  placed  in  direct  communication 
with  ships  floating  in  the  waters  of  the  Pacific,  and  with  the  entire  railroad  system 
of  the  United  States,  is  suggestive  of  an  export  commerce  that  will  soon  turn  the 
balance  of  trade  in  our  favor,  and  keep  more  of  our  gold  at  home. 

THE   CENTRAL   PACIFIC 

Track  commences  on  the  Oakland  water  front  at  26%  feet  of  water,  (at  low  tide), 
where  Goat  Island  makes  a  lee  in  "north-westers,"  and  the  Alameda  Encinal 
breaks  the  force  of  "south-easters."  The  main  trunk  runs  thence,  southerly,  to 
Vallejo's  Mill  (see  map),  from  which  point  it  runs  eastwardly  through  Livermore 
Pass,  traversing  the  Sunol,  Amador,  Livermore,  San  Joaquin,  and  Sacramento 
Valleys,  to  the  Sierra  Nevada,  passing  through  Stockton  and  Sacramento  on  the 
route  across  the  continent.  A  branch  is  in  operation  southerly  from  Vallejo's 
Mill  to  San  Jose",  connecting  with  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  which  is  now 
built  to  Gilroy,  and  is  being  extended  southerly  toward  the  Panoche  Pass.  We 
will  omit  descriptive  details  of  the  road  and  route,  inasmuch  as  the  public  are 
familiarized  with  both. 

THE   CENTRAL   PACIFIC   SAN   JOAQUIN   BRANCH 

Is  one  of.  the  most  important  feeders  of  the  Central  Pacific  main  trunk.  It  inter- 
sects the  main  trunk  eight  miles  westerly  from  Stockton,  and  runs  southerly  forty 
miles,  through  a  portion  of  the  great  San  Joaquin  Valley,  surnamed  "Paradise" — 
one  of  the  most  thickly  settled  agricultural  districts  in  California.  In  proportion 
to  its  length,  it  is,  perhaps,  the  most  valuable  "feeder"  which  the  Company  could 
have  constructed.  It  is  now  being  extended  to  meet  the  agricultural  developments 
of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  and  will  eventually  intersect  the  trunk  line  of  the  South- 
ern Pacific,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tulare  Lake.  Thus,  the  empire  valley  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  is  destined  to  be  traversed  by  two  great  roads ;  and  the  time  will 
come  when  both  will  require  numerous  branches,  to  accommodate  the  vast  breadth 
of  arable  country  which  the  valley  embraces. 

THE   BRANCH   FROM   BANTA,  VIA   ANTIOCH    AND    MARTINEZ,  TO   OAKLAND, 

Has  already  been  described,  but  it  is  destined  to  work  so  important  a  part  in  our 
railroad  system,  that  we  recur  to  it,  under  a  special  heading.  It  is  the  solution  of 
a  State  problem.  Our  most  extensive  wheat -districts,  and  our  coal-mines,  will 
have  a  level  road  to  the  sea. 

•THE   CALIFORNIA   AND   OREGON. 

This  road,  which  is  to  concentrate  the  trade  of  the  north  and  bring  it  to  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco,  is  being  constructed  by  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany. A  valuable  land  grant  is  stimulating  the  work.  It  is  now  completed  from 
Sacramento  to  Tehama — 123  miles.  While  a  full  force  is  being  employed  in  its 
northward  extension,  the  Company  is  preparing  to  make  the  connection  between 
Sacramento  and  Oakland  by  the  shortest  possible  route.      The  engineers  have 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA.  7 

found  a  route  of  eighty-three  miles,  on  which  no  grade  will  be  encountered  exceed- 
ing ten  feet  to  the  mile.  It  crosses  the  straits*  in  the  neighborhood  of  Martinez, 
where  it  will  intersect  the  road  from  Banta  to  Oakland. 

It  is  remarkable  that  neither  the  press  nor  the  people  of  San  Francisco  have 
manifested  the  slightest  solicitude  for  the  railroad  trade  from  the  north,  even 
when  there  was  danger  of  losing  it,  while  they  have  been  subject  to  intermittent 
fever  concerning  that  from  the  south,  of  which  they  have  always  been  assured,  but 
which  is  neither  now,  nor  prospectively,  half  as  important  as  the  former. 

THE   CALIFORNIA   PACIFIC,   AND   THE   N.    S.   F.   AND   HUMBOLDT 

Comprise  the  road  extending  from  Vallejo  to  Marysville,  with  a  branch  to  Sacra- 
mento; the  road  from  Calistoga  to  Napa;  and  the  system  of  roads,  and  projected 
roads  in  Sonoma,  Petaluma,  Santa  Rosa,  and  Russian  River  Valleys.  Prior  to 
the  purchase  of  these  lines  by  the  Central  Pacific,  Vallejo  promised  to  be  an  im- 
portant terminus,  and  Donohue  had  no  small  pretensions.  Both  places  are  likely 
to  remain  important  points  for  local  trade;  but  when  the  California  and  Oregon 
Road  makes  its  connection  with  Oakland,  the  concentrating  tendency  of  commerce 
will  be  illustrated  for  the  ten-thousandth  time. 

THE  WOODLAND  AND  RED  BLUFF  BRANCH 

Which  will  traverse  the  richest  part  of  the  Sacramento  Valley,  west  of  the  river, 
for  a  hundred  miles,  is  a  projected  road,  much  needed,  and  one  that  will  assuredly 
be  constructed  in  a  few  years.  There  is  no  valley  in  the  State  that  would  yield 
quicker  or  richer  returns  to  a  railroad, 

THE   SOUTHERN   PACIFIC. 

The  original  franchise  of  this  Company  extended  "from  the  waters  of  the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco  to  a  point  on  the  Colorado  River,  at  or  near  Fort  Mohave," 
where  it  meets  that  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  It  has  since  obtained  from  Con- 
gress a  land-grant  for  a  branch  from  the  Tehachepa  Pass,  via  Los  Angeles,  to  Fort 
Yuma  where  it  will  intersect  the  line  of  the  Memphis  and  El  Paso.  The  topog- 
raphy of  the  country  does  not  admit  of  a  more  direct  route. 

The  tardiness  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  is  attributable  to  the  great  diffi- 
culties encountered  in  crossing  the  Mt.  Diablo  Range.  The  Livermore  Pa^s  hav- 
ing been  secured  by  the  Western  Pacific,  the  Southern  Pacific  was  given  the  op- 
tion of  taking  any  one  of  four  passes  farther  south,  to  wit:  the  Pacheco,  Panoche, 
San  Benito,  or  Cholame.*  Much  time,  and  immense  labor,  have  been  expended 
in  seeking  the  most  available  route. 

The  report  of  General  William  Palmer  on  surveys  across  the  continent,  on  the 
35th  parallel  of  latitude,  published  in  1868,  throws  light  on  this  interesting  subject. 

The  surveys  were  begun  at  Fort  Wallace,  in  western  Kansas,  in  July,  1867,  by 
three  well -organized  parties  of  engineers,  under  General  W.  W.  Wright.  Two 
additional  parties,  under  Colonel  William  H.  Greenwood,  were  subsequently  sent 
out,  increasing  the  corps  to  five  parties  comprising  about  one  hundred  men,  be- 
sides the  military  escorts,  teamsters,  etc.  The  work  was  thorough  and  exhaust- 
ive. It  extended  over  the  mountainous  regions  and  arid  plains,  and  the  contin- 
gencies of  climate  and  seasons  were  investigated. 

*On  the  map  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  route  takes  the  San  Benito  ;  but  an  Act  of  Con- 
gress allows  the  Company  to  cross  the  mountains  within  thirty  miles  en  either  side,  "  or  as  near  as  may  be." 


5  THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

The  line  recommended  for  reaching  the  Tulare  Valley  from  the  east,  crosses 
the  Colorado  River  about  twenty-five  miles  below  Fort  Mohave,  and  traverses  the 
Mohave  Plains  to  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  Tehachepa  Pass, 
about  forty  miles  east  and  north  of  Tejon,  was  found  to  be  the  best  at  which  to 
cross  that  great  range.  The  elevation  of  the  summit  is  4,008*  feet  above  tide, 
while  at  the  Donner  Lake  Pass,  where  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  crosses  the 
same  range,  the  altitude  exceeds  7,000  feet. 

Descending  from  the  Tehachepa  into  the  Tulare  and  San  Joaquin  Valleys, 
General  Palmer  sought  a  route  through  the  Mt.  Diablo  Range  by  one  of  the  four 
passes  before-mentioned.  Of  these,  the  Panoche  was  the  only  pass  instrumentally 
examined,  the  elevation  of  which  was  found  to  be  about  2,200  feet  above  tide.  The 
grades  in  38  miles,  from  Tulare  Plain  across  the  Coast  range,  are  as  follows :  7 
miles,  of  106  feet  per  mile,  ascending  westward;  6  miles,  of  116  feet  per  mile,  de- 
scending westward ;  and  the  remaining  25  miles  ranging  from  50  to  85  feet.  (Gen- 
eral Palmer's  Report,  p.  71.) 

-  The  elevations  of  the  three  other  passes,  as  ascertained  by  the  barometer,  are 
as  follow:  Pacheco,  1,470  feet;  San  Benito,  2,750  feet;  Cholame,  2,000  feet. 
The  lowest,  Pacheco,  is  described  by  General  Palmer  as  being  the  most  difficult 
of  all.  A  peculiarity  of  the  whole  range,  is  the  abruptness  of  the  slopes  from  the 
Summit  to  the  San  Joaquin  and  Tulare  Valleys.  All  the  passes  are  easily  ap- 
proached from  the  westward;  but  steep,  and  in  some  cases  impracticable,  grades 
are  required  to  make  the  descent  into  the  valley.  The  sand  formation  of  the 
country  is  also  exceedingly  unfavorable  for  the  construction  and  maintenance  of 
railroads. 

The  vast  amount  of  subsequent  surveying  has  failed  to  develop  a  more  favora- 
ble route  for  reaching  San  Francisco  from  the  south,  than  the  one  recommended 
by  General-  Palmer. 

While  the  subsidy  amply  justifies  the  building  of  the  road  through  Panoche 
Pass, 

THE  VALLEY   ROUTE 

Which  will  traverse  the  level  plain  (the  average  gradient  being  less  than  two  feet 
to  the  mile)  on  an  air  line  from  the  Junction  to  Banta,  connecting  with  the  branch 
road  from  Banta,  via  Martinez,  to  Oakland,  will  be  —  as  elsewhere  explained  — 
much'the  quicker  and  checTper  approach  to  San  Francisco  from  the  Tehachepa 
Pass,  and  from  every  part  of  the  Tulare  and  San  Joaquin  Valleys. 

The  country  tributary  to  the  mountain  route  is  comparatively  unproductive, 
while  that  tributary  to  the  valley  route  is  remarkable  for  its  immense  agricultural 
resources. 

THE   SOUTHERN   PACIFIC   COAST   ROUTE, 

As  shown  on  the  map  —  extending  from  Gilroy  to  Los  Angeles  —  was  projected  by 
General  Rosecrans,  and  originally  designed  to  connect  with  the  Memphis  and  El 
Paso  Road,  at  Fort  Yuma.  As  its  name  indicates,  it  now  belongs  to  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company.  The  route  traverses  a  chain  of  valleys  from  Gilroy  to 
Santa  Barbara  which,  though  not  comparable  in  extent  to  the  valleys  farther  in- 
land, are  remarkable  for  salubrity  of  climate  and  fertility  of  soil.  From  Santa  Bar- 
bara to  Los  Angeles,  the  country  is  rough  and  broken,  presenting  serious  engineer- 
ing difficulties.     The  building  of  the  Memphis  and  El  Paso  Road  would  stimulate 

*The  great  breadth  of  the  ^tige  renders  the  grades  comparatively  easy. 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA.  9 

the  building  of  this  projected  coast  road,  and  cause  its  extension  beyond  Los  An- 
geles to  Fort  Yuma,  thus  making  the  connection  with  Oakland  and  San  Francisco. 
The  old  proverb,  "All  roads  lead  to  Rome,"  has  a  significant  application  to  our 
railroad  system — terminal  expenses  and  transshipping  facilities  rendering  it  an 
economical  necessity. 


THE  MEMPHIS  AND  EL  PASO. 

This  enterprise  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  projects  presented 
to  the  public,  and  it  has  been  prosecuted  with  varying  fortunes  for  sixteen  years. 
The  Company  was  organized  in  1854,  and  received  a  valuable  land  grant  from  the 
State  of  Texas.  Work  was  soon  after  commenced,  and  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  of  the  road  have  been  graded  and  put  in  operation.  The  late  civil  war 
caused  a  suspension  of  the  work,  and  the  exhaustion  of  the  South  has,  until  quite 
recently,  prevented  its  resumption.  Last  winter,  a  bill  passed  Congress  granting 
a  subsidy  to  encourage  the  building  of  the  road. 


THE  STOCKTON  AND  CQPPEROPOLIS 

Is  a  local  road,  designed  to  connect  Stockton  and  Copperopolis.  Fifteen  miles  of 
it  has  been  constructed,  and  the  road  is  in  operation  that  far,  easterly  from 
Stockton. 


[From  the  San  Francisco  Aha  California.] 

WHAT  THE  C.  P.  R.  R.  CO.  HAS  BEEN  DOING. 

A  wharf,  11,000  feet  long,  running  out  to  a  depth  of  26^2  feet  at  low  tide,  and 
33)4  feet  at  high  tide,  in  a  bay  like  that  of  San  Francisco,  having  twelve  railroad 
tracks  upon  its  last  one  thousand  feet,  a  wide  carriage  way,  a  spacious  passenger 
depot  and  railroad  offices,  warehouses  and  outside  storage  for  40,000  tons  of  grain 
or  other  merchandise,  three  large  docks,  one  of  which  affords  ample  space  for  five 
of  the  largest  steamers  or  clippers  afloat,  is  not  often  seen,  even  in  this  age  of  rail- 
road and  engineering  wonders.  Such  a  structure  has,  however,  recently  been  com- 
pleted by  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  on  the  Oakland  or  easterly  side  of 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco.  The  extreme  end  of  the  main  wharf  is  only  three  miles 
from  the  foot  of  Second  Street,  where  freight  is  landed  in  this  city,  and  is  less  than 
two  and  a  half  miles  'from  the  foot  of  Pacific  Street,  where  passengers  are  set  down 
on  this  (San  Francisco)  side. 

It  would  be  much  more  difficult  to  build  such  a  long  wharf  with  safety  on  our 
side  of  the  bay,  because  the  bottom  here  is  a  yielding  mud ;  but  on  the  Oakland 
side  there  is  a  hard  clay  bottom.  Another  point  in  favor  of  Oakland  is  that  the 
destructive  marine  wood -eating  worm,  the  teredo,  is  not  found  there  at  all.  In 
these  facts  lie  two  of  the  greatest  elements  of  strength  and  ability  to  bear  great 
burdens  of  the  new  railway  wharves  across  the  bay,  but  only  two  of  them.  Noth- 
ing has  been  neglected  in  the  quality  of  material  used,  and  workmanship  employed, 


io  THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

to  make  the  wharves  the  very  best  ever  built  in  the  United  States.  Experts  in  the 
construction  of  such  work,  and  army  and  other  engineers  who  are  familiar  with 
like  structures  in  Europe  and  America,  all  agree  in  saying  that  for  engineering 
skill,  mechanical  execution,  and  solidity  and  excellence  of  all  the  material  employ- 
ed, the  work  is  not  surpassed  by  any  they  ever  examined.  To  make  this  plain,  a 
few  descriptive  figures  must  be  given.  The  piles  used,  where  the  water  deepens, 
are  65  feet  long,  and  are  42  to  54  inches  in  circumference,  or  as  heavy  as  the  main- 
mast of  the  largest  clipper.  They  are  all  of  the  very  best  pine,  which  for  lasting 
qualities  under  water  is  one  of  the  very  best  kinds  of  wood.  The  main  wharf — for 
a  thousand  feet  east  of  the  latter  there  are  two  wharves,  one  for  Oakland  local 
trains,  and  one  for  the  regular  freight  and  passenger  cars  of  the  through  overland 
road  —  is  800  feet  wide  at  the  extreme  or  western  end,  and  on  it  are  pens  for  500 
cattle,  two  immense  warehouses  (one  50x500,  another  62x600),  with  the  passenger 
depot,  75x305  in  size.  The  piles  were  driven  into  the  bottom  to  a  depth  of  18  feet. 
They  are  set  10  feet  apart,  parallel  with  the  course  of  the  wharf,  and  6  and  7  feet 
apart  across  it.  In  the  docks,  or  slips,  there  is  a  double  row  of  spring  or  fend -off 
piles,  and  the  regularity  and  neatness  with  which  they  are  laid  is  especially  worthy 
of  attention  and  admiration.  Those  who  will  examine  the  old  slips  into  which  the 
steamers  used  to  run,  or  who  remember  those  used  at  the  Brooklyn  (New  York) 
ferries,  will  be  able  to  appreciate  the  superiority  of  the  Central  Pacific  slips.  The 
upright  piles  on  the  last  one  thousand  feet  of  the  main  wharf,  are  braced  with  im- 
mense cross  piles  and  iron  anchors.  Trains  of  heavily  loaded  freight  cars  pass 
over  this  gigantic  structure  with  as  little  jar  as  over  solid  ground. 

The  massive  new  freight  ferry-boat  of  the  Central  Pacific  Company  has  been 
completed,  and  is  now  running  from  the  Company's  extensive  wharves,  at  the  foot 
of  Second  Street,  in  this  city,  to  the  Company's  wharves  and  docks  above  describ- 
ed, on  the  Oakland  side  of  the  bay.  The  boat  carries  16  loaded  cars  on  each  trip, 
and  has,  in  addition,  pens  for  300  cattle.  She  can  carry  from  1,000  to  1,280  tons 
each  way  per  day,  making  the  trip  across  the  bay  (3  miles)  in  forty  minutes,  when 
loaded.  A  railroad  now  connects  the  Pacific  Mail  Company's  dock  and  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific  wharf  on  this  side,  by  means  of  which  the  cargoes  of  the'  China  steam- 
ers can  be  immediately  discharged  into  the  Central  Pacific  freight  cars,  and  thus 
the  utmost  dispatch  will  be  attained  in  the  shipment  of  teas,  silks,  and  other  fast 
freight  intended  for  the  Atlantic  States  and  Europe. 

The  Central  Pacific  Company  owns  all  of  the  Oakland  water-front  on  which  its 
vast  wharves  are  built.  It  has  its  own  docks  there,  capable,  as  we  have  shown,  of 
accommodating  five  of  the  largest  clippers. or  steamers  at  a  time.  In  future,  all 
grain,  ores,  wool,  wine,  and  other  merchandise  that  are  to  be  shipped  to  Europe  or 
elsewhere,  by  water,  will  be  discharged  directly  on  shipboard  from  the  cars  at  the 
end  of  the  Company's  wharf,  while  all  steamers  or  other  craft  which  come  into  this 
port  with  Oriental  cargoes  for  the  Atlantic  States,  will  go  direct  to  the  Company's 
docks  and  unload  into  the -cars.  In  this  way,  heavy  wharfage,  tolls,  loss  of  time, 
double  handling  and  its  onerous  attendant  costs,  will  be  avoided. 

In  addition  to  the  main  overland  line,  the  Central  Pacific  Company  owns  the 
California  and  Oregon  Railroad,  which  is  now  completed  to  Tehama,  123  miles 
above  Sacramento,  toward  Oregon ;  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  Road,  which  is  com- 
pleted to  the  Tuolumne  River;  the  San  Jose*  branch,  from  Niles'  Station,  and  the 
Alameda  and  Oakland  Railroad.  The  two  first -named  branches  of  the  Central 
Pacific  line  run  through  our  two  great  valleys  — the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin. 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA.  u 

No  country  on  earth  offers  a  more  princely  traffic  to  railroads  than  do  these  two 
vast  empire  valleys. 

In  the  building  of  these  deep-water  wharves  and  warehouses,  the  Central 
Pacific  Company  has  omitted  nothing  which  would  tend  to  facilitate  business  and 
reduce  expenses  on  the  Company's  railroads.  Mr.  S.  S.  Montague,  the  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Central  pacific  Road,  and  Mr.  Arthur  Brown,  who  built  all  the 
Howe  truss -bridges  on  the  road,  planned  and  built  the  great  wharves  and  ware- 
houses which  we  have  described,  and  the  whole  work  stands  as  a  fresh  monument 
of  the  engineering  talent  of  the  one,  and  the  mechanical  skill  and  ability  of  the 
other.* 


CONCLUSION. 

Railroad  companies  conserve  their  own  interests  best,  when  they  promote  the 
interests  of  the  public.  The  Central,  and  the  Southern  Pacific,  in  seeking  the 
patronage  and  sympathetic  cooperation  of  the  populations  for  whose  necessities 
they  intend  to  provide,  will  operate  with  the  greatest  possible  economy  to  the 
public,  and  to  themselves.  To  do  this,  they  must  seek  the  nearest  point  at  deep 
water,  convenient  to  the  sea,  by  such  routes  as  are,  equivalently,  the  shortest  and 
cheapest.  Oakland  is  that  point.  The  Mt.  Diablo  Range  must  be  removed,  or 
split  asunder,  before  the  figures  we  have  quoted,  in  equating  for  grades  and  curves, 
can  be  controverted.     And  what  do  they  demonstrate  ? 

First,  that  even  if  the  Bay  were  bridged  at  Ravenswood,  and  a  shore -line  road 
extended,  thence,  to  Mission  Bay,  trains  leaving  Banta  for  Oakland,  via  Martinez, 
would  reach  Oakland  before  similar  trains  leaving  Banta,  at  the  same  time,  for 
San  Francisco,  via  Livermore  Pass  and  Ravenswood,  could  get  within  forty  miles 
of  San  Francisco. 

Second,  that  the  Southern  Pacific  trains,  starting  from  a  given  point  in  the 
Tulare  Valley,  will  reach  Oakland,  by  the  valley  route,  before  said  trains  could  get 
within  eighty  miles  of  San  Francisco,  via  the  mountain  road. 

Third,  that  a  bridge  at  Ravenswood  would  be,  to  San  Francisco,  a  bridge  of 
size. 


DISTANCES. 

In  columns  A,  B,  and  E,  of  the  following  table,  the  measured  distances  are 
given,  except  in  cases  wherein  they  have  not  been  made  public.  In  these  cases 
they  have  been  computed  by  engineers  who  are  familiar  with  the  general  topog- 
raphy of  the  country.  In  columns  C,  and  D,  the  respective  elevations  of  the 
Livermore  and  Panoche  Passes  have  been  taken  into  account ;  and  in  conformity 
with  the  established  rules  in  equating  for  grades,  (see  note,  page  3),  34  miles  have 
been  added  to  the  measured  distance  through  the  former  pass,  and  1 10  miles  to  the 
computed  distance  through  the  latter,  to  compensate  for  grades. 

This  gives  the  reader  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  equivalent,  or  practical,  distances, 
via  the  several  routes,  relative  to  the  power  required  for  transportation  by  rail,  in 

*  While  according  infinite  praise  to  Messrs.  Montague  and  Brown  for  their  genius  in  designing,  no  less 
praise  is  due  to  Mr.  A.  R.  Guppy,  the  accomplished  and  indefatigable  engineer  who  directed  and  superin- 
tended the  work.    We  will  add  that  the  work  done  is  only  a  small  part  of  that  which  is  projected. 


12 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


ascending  grades.  It  does  not,  however,  impart  what  should  be  understood 
respecting  the  time  consumed  oft  steep  grades,  as  compared  with  level  road.  To 
prevent  the  "iron  horse"  from  running  away  with  the  train,  in  descending  such 
grades,  it  is  necessary  to  "down  brakes,"  and  "go  slow."  Thus,  generally,  the 
descent  requires  as  much  time  as  the  ascent,  and  the  rules  in  equating  for  speed 
tell  heavily  against  mountain  roads.  Nor,  has  the  lef  s  by  curvature  been  esti- 
mated, either  in  the  foregoing  remarks,  or  in  the  following  table  —  the  loss  by 
grades  being  amply  sufficient  to  sustain  all  that  is  claimed  in  the  text. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  level  road  to  the  sea,  which  will  run  around  tho.  mount- 
ains, and  approach  Oakland  from  the  north,  must  become  the  great  trunk  line  of 
both  the  Central,  and  Southern  Pacific. 

The  distance  from  Oakland  to  Martinez  is  computed,  as  will  be  observed,  at 
31  miles.  There  is  reason  for  believing  that  the  railroad  company  has  located  a 
line  between  the  two  places  that  will  not  exceed  26  miles  in  length ;  but  the  former 
figures  are  adopted  in  the  table,  as  the  maximum. 


A 

B 

<: 

O  ju' 

p.g. 

Kre 
P  -N 

F> 

•  5 

C 

D 

E 

FROM  OAKLAND  TO 

<! 

7iV>' 

~.  p 

p 
a 
p. 

< 

0' 

< 

a  5' 

D 
■>   <■ 

re 

0 
0 

TJ 

p 

< 

£  5° 
0.  w 
p 
^3 
§<-, 
0  0 

%  3 

;   ^ 

p' 
> 

3' 

re 

0 

c 
n 

22 

37 

31 

79 
95 

100 
116 
164 

91 

3i 

47 

74 

55 

79 

93 

86^ 
119 
210 
704 

83 

26 

42 

60 

5° 

74 

Healdsburg. . .                        

88 

8n 

279 
739 

192 
300 
760 

108 

Red  Bluff 

210 

Portland  (Oregon) 

40 
70 

83 
3IO 
4IO 

Gilroy 

Hollister 

Junction  (north  of  Tulare  Lake) 

227 
327 

248 

The  distance  from  Niles  in  a  direct  line  across  the  Bay  to  Ravenswood  is  13 
miles;  thence  to  Mission  Bay,  San  Francisco,  via  "shore  line,"  27  miles — total 
distance  from  Niles  to  San  Francisco,  40  miles,  as  against  22  miles  from  Niles  to 
Oakland.  San  Jose  is  50  miles  from  San  Francisco,  and  but  40  miles  from  Oak- 
land. 


OAKLAND  AND  VICINITY. 


THE  CITY  GOVERNMENT. 

Mayor, N.  VV.  Spaulding. 

City  Council  — E.  H.  Pardee,  President;  J.  V.  B.  Goodrich,  T.  J.  Murphy,  A. 
L.  Warner,  C.  D.  Haven,  W.  J.  Gurnett,  W.  S.  Snook. 

Board  of  Education  —  L.  Hamilton,  President;  E.  W.  Playter,  G.  W.  Armes, 
R.  E.  Cole,  Jacob  Bacon,  W.  Van  Dyke,  J.  W.  Thurman. 

City  Clerk  and  Creasurer, H.  Hillebrand. 

City  Marshal  and  Tax  Collector, Perry  Johnson. 

Police  Judge, A.  H.  Jayne. 

Police  Commissioners — N.  W.  Spaulding,  E.  H.  Pardee,  and  Perry  Johnson. 

City  Assessor, Joseph  M.  Dillon. 

Justices  of  the  Peace,  ....     James  Lentell  and  G.  H.  Fogg. 

Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,      .        .        .        .        F.  M.  Campbell. 

Appointed  Officers  —  T.  J.  Arnold,  City  Engineer;  H.  H.  Havens,  City  At- 
torney; George  Taylor,  Pound  Master;  Miles  Doody,  Chief  Engineer  of  Fire 
Department. 

Police  Department  —  F.  B.  Tarbett,  Captain  of  Police;  D.  H.  Rand  and  E. 
H.  Woolsey,  Detectives;  W.  P.  Brandt,  G.  H.  Moore,  \V.  H.  Summers,  John 
A.  Moore,  Spencer  Pool,  H.  C.  Emmons,  George  H.  Carlton,  C.  P.  McKay, 
Regular  Officers ;  A.  Shorey,  A.  Wilson,  G.  F.  Blake,  G.  H.  Tilly,  Special 
Officers. 


[From  the  Oakland  Transcript.] 

THE  PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  FUTURE  OF  OAKLAND. 

The  centralization  of  society,  the  development  of  industries,  and  the  current  of 
trade,  being  subjects  of  general  interest,  the  following  synoptic  review  and  brief 
deductions  concerning  the  locality  of  Oakland  are  appropriate  at  the  present  time. 

Before  Oakland  existed,  San  Francisgo  had  become  the  great  centre  of  popu- 
lation and  trade  on  the  North  Pacific  Coast.  Admirably  situated  for  deep-sea  and 
inland  water  traffic,  wealth  was  attracted  to  her  lap.  This  stimulated  the  enter- 
prise of  her  people,  and  made  her  what  she  is.  Sacramento,  Stockton,  San  Jos<5, 
Benicia,  Vallejo,  Sonoma,  Petaluma,  (to  say  nothing  of  numerous  mountain  towns, 


U  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

which  dot  the  map  of  California),  all  acquired  considerable  importance  before  Oak- 
land was  heard  of. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1851,  the  site  of  Oakland  was  known  only  as  a  part  of 
the  Peralta  Rancho.  Wild  cattle  roamed  where  now,  surrounded  by  all  that  per- 
tains to  modern  civilization,  more  than  eleven  thousand  people  are  living.  The 
sound  of  church  -  organs  and  college -bells  now  reverberates  where,  then,  nothing 
but  the  bellowing  of  animals  interrupted  the  stillness  of  nature.  In  the  place  of 
the  old  cattle -trails  are  railroads  and  macadamized  streets;  and  where  the  cattle 
lazily  roamed,  we  now  witness  thirty-two  daily  passenger  trains,  to  say  nothing  of 
freight  trains,  rushing  to  and  fro,  propelled  by  the  mighty  power  of  steam.  Even 
the  wild  flowers,  that  once  bedecked  the  surface  of  the  earth,  exist  only  by  suffer- 
ance, and  a  cultivated  flora  has  usurped  their  place. 

Considering  that  Oakland  was  but  a  second  thought  in  California ;  considering 
the  long  litigation  concerning  land  titles — now  happily  settled;  considering  that 
one-fourth  the  area  of  the  city  has  been  held  in  check  for  the  want  of  public  thor- 
oughfares— the  circumstance  of  her  extraordinary  development,  the  statistics  of 
which  we  publish  elsewhere,  affords  a  useful  lesson  for  economists. 

Our  space  is  inadequate  to  a  full  exposition  of  the  subject,  but  we  will  dwell 
upon  it  sufficiently  to  explain  "the  milk  in  the  cocoanut;"  and  to  show  that  more 
extraordinary  results  will  inevitably  succeed  those  which  it  has  been  our  privilege 
to  witness. 

For  several  years  after  the  acquisition  of  California  by  th§  United  States,  men 
"planted  their  stakes"  on  the  exclusive  basis  of  the  gold  and  silver  crop,  and  the 
trade  which  mining  would  develop.  Moreover,  in  their  calculations  concerning 
prospective  developments,  ships,  steamboats,  and  mule-teams  were  relied  upon  as 
the  only  means  of  transportation.  In  short,  a  single  branch  of  industry  was  the 
incentive  to  action,  and  the  Locomotive  was  not  even  expected 'within  the  time  pop- 
ularly allotted  for  making  "a  pile." 

The  Locomotive  has  not  only  revolutionized  the  carrying  trade,  but,  while  add- 
ing importance  to  mining  industry,  it  has  stimulated  agriculture  to  the  front  rank, 
and  opened  many  fields  for  diversified  labor.  The  gold  and  silver  crop  can  be 
"packed"  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea  on  the  backs  of  mules,  and  requires  not 
much  tonnage  to  transport  it  from  continent  to  continent ;  but  the  wheat,  wine, 
wool,  and  fruit  crops  will  annually  require  hundreds  of  vessels  and  thousands  of 
railroad  trains. 

The  statistics,  and  our  remarks  elsewhere,  will  show  what  the  Locomotive  has 
thus  far  done  for  Oakland,  in  connection  with  educational  establishments,  and  nat- 
ural advantages  of  climate,  soil,  and  topography.  Respecting  the  present,  we  will 
only  say,  here,  that  there  is  no  other  city,  in  or  out  of  California,  the  population  of 
which  includes  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  well-educated  class. 

Referring  to  the  changes  produced,  and  being  produced,  by  railroads,  the  un- 
biased reader  need  only  examine  the  map  to  see  that  there  can  be  no  great  termi- 
nus at  ship -channel  in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  except  at  Oakland.  An  "air- 
line road,"  so  called,  will  soon  be  made  from  Sacramento  to  Oakland,  and  engineers 
are  in  the  field  to  determine  die  shortest^route. 

Plans  are  almost  completed  for  dredging  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  San  Antonio 
Estuary,  and  making  the  estuary  available  for  commercial  purposes.  An  impor- 
tant consideration,  in  connection  with  the  vast  amount  of  piling  already  done,  and 
the  vaster  amount  in  contemplation,  is  the  absence  of  the  teredo,  or  "pile -worm." 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  15 

Scientific  men  attribute  this  to  the  fact  that  the  flood-tide  through  Raccoon  Straits 
throws  the  fresh  water  from  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin,  far  over  to  the  east 
side  of  the  Bay;  and  the  pressure  of  the  flood,  south  of  Angel  Island,  crowds 
it  sufficiently  to  cause  a  portion  of  it  to  pass  between  Oakland  and  Goat  Island,  at 
every  ebb.  The  absence  of  the  teredo  from  the  estuary  has  never  been  accounted 
for  satisfactorily,  but  the  fact  of  its  non-existence  is  established. 

We  have  written  enough  to  show  that  Oakland  must  eventually  become  the 
base  of  the  greater  part  of  the  commerce  concentrating  at  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  situation  of  Oakland  toward  San  FranciSco,  is  often  compared  with 
the  situation  of  Brooklyn  toward  New  York,  and  comparative  deductions  are  made 
corresponding  with  the  history  of  those  Eastern  cities.  Had  New  York  been  lo- 
cated at  the  end  of  a  peninsula,  jutting  from  the  main-land  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean; 
and  had  Brooklyn  been  located  on  the  main-land  opposite,  and  enjoyed  a  climate 
as  much  more  genial  as  that  of  Oakland,  compared  with  the  climate  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, we  opine  the  result,  there,  would  have  been  different. 

In  writing  thus  about  Oakland,  it  must  not  be  supposed  we  are  predicting  the 
downfall  of  San  Francisco.  On  the  contrary,  we  believe  that  San  Francisco  will 
prosper  and  increase.  We  are  looking  to  the  time  when  the  commerce  concen- 
trating at  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  will  be  fivefold  greater  than  at  present.  And 
without  expecting  Oakland  to  depopulate  her  great  neighbor,  we  judge,  from  the 
forces  which  are  operating,  that  our  next  annual  statistics  will  make  a  more  won- 
derful showing  than  those  of  the  past  year. 


THE  WATER  FRONT. 

What  is  known  here  as  "  The  Water  Front  of  Oakland,"  consists  of  the  tide- 
lands  embraced  within  the  charter  line  of  the  city,  as  shown  on  the  map  published 
herewith.  This  does  not  refer  to  the  marsh-lands — they  being  above  ordinary,  or 
average,  high  tide.  Some  characteristics  of  this  water  front  are  remarkable.  The 
bed  of  the  San  Antonio  Estuary,  and  of  its  main  current  to  ship-channel,  is  soft, 
and  offers  a  great  reward,  in  commercial  value,  for  engineering  skill.  The  flat, 
from  the  shore  of  the  bay  to  ship-channel,  dips  from  high -water  mark,  westerly, 
on  a  regular  incline.  It  is  "hard-pan,"  and  presents  an  admirable  foundation  for 
wharves  and  other  structures. 

By  the  Act  incorporating  the  town  of  Oakland,  passed  1852,  the  State  ceded 
the  water  front  to  the  town.  By  a  subsequent  Act,  the  town  became  a  city,  and 
the  old  charter  line  was  confirmed.  In  1852,  the  Trustees  of  the  town  conveyed 
the  entire  water  front  to  an  individual,  for  a  consideration  —  suck  as  it  was.  The 
city  authorities  repudiated  the  action  of  the  Town  Trustees,  and  sought  to  recover 
the  water  front.  A  prolonged  litigation  ensued,  the  merits  of  which  belong  to  the 
past.  However  much  the  development  of  the  city  was  retarded,  some  of  the  re- 
sults have  been  interesting.  One,  was  the  preservation  of  the  water  front  in  its 
inte°rity,  as  a  whole ;  and  when  the  transcontinental  railroad  sought  its  natural 
terminus  at  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  the  Genius  of  Commerce  was  invoked,  and 
she  extended  an  open  hand.  The  city  sought,  and  obtained  from  the  Legislature 
an  "enabling  Act,"  under  the  provisions  of  which  the  litigation  was  concl> 
and  her  claims  to  the  water  front  were  exchanged  for  guarantees  of  metropolitan 


id  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

portensions.     Master  minds  were  employed ;  grand  conceptions  were  developed ; 
great  things  have  been  accomplished ;  and  greater  things  are  in  progress. 

The  water  front,  excepting  the  portion  of  it  owned  by  the  railroad  company,  and 
a  small  reservation  belonging  to  the  city,  is  the  property  of  an  incorporated  com- 
pany, known  as  The  Oakland  Water  Front  Company,  in  which  the  directors  of 
the  railroad  company  are  largely  interested.  An  elaborate  survey  of  the  entire 
property  has  been  completed,  and  the  contemplated  improvements,  (an  outline  of 
which  we  publish),  as  shown  on  the  Company's  map,  develops  one  of  the  greatest 
enterprises  of  this  or  any  other  age. 


THE  ESTUARY  OF  SAN  ANTONEO. 

An  examination  of  the  maps  published  in  this  pamphlet  will  convey  a  better 
general  idea  of  the  location  of  the  Estuary,  with  reference  to  the  Bay,  the  city  of 
San  Francisco,  Oakland,  the  railroad  system  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  the  com- 
merce of  the  ocean,  than  we  could  convey  in  words. 

On  the  map  of  Oakland  will  be  found  the  outlines  of  the  reservations  and  rights 
of  way,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Estuary,  belonging  to  the  Railroad  Company ; 
also,  the  outlines  of  the  improvements  projected  by  the  Water  Front  Company, 
which  harmonize  with  those  of  the  former.     ; 

The  reader  will  observe  the  soundings  marked  on  the  map,  from  four  and  a 
half  fathoms  water  in  the  Bay,  to  the  head  of  the  Estuary;  and  the  scale  will 
enable  him  to  judge  of  the  area  of  this  most  invaluable,  land-locked,  sheet  of 
water. 

Our  article  upon  the  Water  Front  of  Oakland  explains  the  situation  of  the 
Estuary,  in  the  relation  of  ownership;  and  the  proposed  line  of  crib -work,  as 
shown  on  the  map  —  extending  from  ship-channel,  in  the  Bay,  to  the  head  of  the 
Estuary — is  the  line  established  by  the  engineers  employed  by  the  Water  Front 
Company,  and  has  been  copied,  by  permission,  from  an  elaborate- map  which  the 
Company  has  prepared. 

As  we  have  stated,  elsewhere,  the  plans  of  the  Company  develop  one  of  the 
grandest  conceptions  of  this,  or  any  other  age.  Recognizing  the  immutability  of 
the  law  of  economy,  it  has  comprehended  the  era  of  railroad  commerce,  and  its 
relationship  to  the  commerce  of  the  ocean.  It  has  formed  a  partnership  with 
Nature  where  Nature  furnishes  nine-tenths. of  the  capital. 

The  improvement  of  a  portion  of  the  river  Clyde  which  is  now  contributary  to 
one  of  the  greatest  centres  of  industry  in  the  world,  cost  several  millions  of 
dollars ;  but  the  Estuary  of  San  Antonio,  with  a  capacity  for  thirteen  miles  of 
land-locked  wharfing,  and  a  basin  to  float  a  fleet  of  the  largest  vessels  ;  which  is 
in  close  alliance  with  the  terminus  of  a  continental  railroad  system ;  and  on  the 
banks  of  which,  locomotives  from  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston ;  from 
Chicago,  Cincinnati,  and  St.  Louis ;  from  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  and  Charleston ; 
can  stand  in  waiting  to  whistle  greeting  to  steamers  from  Panama,  Sydney,  and 
Honolulu;  from  Astoria,  Yokohama,  and  Japan  —  this  Estuary  can  be  made 
immensely  contributary  to  the  commerce  of  the  world,  at  an  expense  of  a  few 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  17 

CLIMATE. 

Information  respecting  climate  being  already  widely  disseminated,  the  reader 
will  be  more  interested  in  general  comparative  remarks  than  in  meteorological 
details. 

Often,  the  thermometer  is  a  poor  index  to  the  comfortable  temperature  in  Cali- 
fornia. A  degree  of  heat  or  cold  that  is  not  distressing  in  one  locality,  is  almost 
insupportable  in  another.  In  the  dry  atmosphere  of  the  mountains,  ice  forms  in 
the  shade,  when  nobody  feels  uncomfortably  cold ;  and  in  the  humid  atmosphere 
of  the  sea-coast,  ice  melts  in  a  blanket,  when  every  body  is  chilled  to  the  bone. 
When  the  mercury  indicates  a  temperature  of  80  degrees,  people  swelter  in  a 
humid  atmosphere,  and  refrigerate  in  a  dry  one.  Therefore,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  information  about  bodily  comfort  will  be  more  interesting  than  minutes  con- 
cerning the  range  of  the  mercury,  we  shall  devote  more  attention  to  the  former 
than  to  the  latter. 

Taking  the  climate  of  San  Francisco  as  a  basis  for  comparison,  the  mean 
annual  temperature  for  seventeen  years,  as  determined  by  Dr.  H.  Gibbons,  Sr.,  of 
that  city,  was  560  4' — the  mean  temperature  of  spring  having  been  56°  5';  summer, 
6o°;  autumn,  59°;  and  winter,  500.  There  were  but  six  days  when  the  mercury 
reached  as  high  as  900,  and  but  one  day  when  it  fell  as  low  as  25°.  During  the 
wet  season,  the  climate  of  the  country  surrounding  the  Bay  varies  little  from  that 
of  San  Francisco ;  but  during  the  dry  season  the  variations  are  remarkable. 

The  rarefaction  of  the  air,  produced  by  the  action  of  the  sun's  rays  upon  the 
vast  surface  of  the  interior  country,  is  the  cause  of  our  prevailing  summer  coast- 
winds.  The  air  is  drawn  from  the  ocean  to  re-establish  the  equilibrium  (inland) 
which  is  destroyed  by  the  heat.  The  force  of  the  wind  depends  on  the  degree  of 
rarefaction  that  has  been  produced,  and  its  direction  is  influenced  by  intervening 
obstacles  presented  by  the  topographical  features  of  the  country. 

At  some  places,  the  wind  and  fogs  from  the  ocean  sweep  over  the  surface ; 
some  places  are  protected  from  the  force  of  the  wind  and  the  humidity  of  fogs  by 
the  configuration  of  the  mountains,  but  are  often  deprived  of  the  sun's  rays  by  the 
fogs  passing  overhead ;  others  are  protected  entirely  from  the  wind,  and  enjoy  an 
unclouded  atmosphere  which  permits  the  accumulation  of  heat;  and,  again,  the 
gravitating  tendency  of  a  cold  current  from  the  ocean  often  causes  it  to  sweep 
down  the  lee  slope  of  the  hills,  or  to  dip  to  the  surface  of  the  plain,  between  two 
ranges.  Hence,  the  difference  in  the  sensation  of  heat  and  cold  experienced  at 
places  only  a  few  miles  apart.  The  necessity  of  substituting  cloth  wrappings  for 
lawns  or  linen,  within  a  transit  of  thirty  minutes  by  boat  or  rail,  seems  wonderful, 
even  when  we  know  the  cause. 

The  summer  climate  of  Oakland  and  vicinity,  is  a  matter  of  curiosity  to  many. 
Immediately  back  of  Oakland,  the  mountains  are  high,  but  there  are  depressions 
in  the  range,  both  north  and  south  of  us,  at  a  distance  of  several  miles.  The 
strongest  wind-currents  are,  of  course,  drawn  through  these  depressions.  We  see 
the  fog  banks  which  enter  the  Golden  Gate  take  a  northerly  direction,  and  the  fog 
banks  which  come  through  the  "Mission  Pass,"  in  the  southerly  part  of  San 
Francisco,  take  a  southerly  direction,  across  the  Bay.  The  high  hills  between  the 
central  part  of  San  Francisco  and  the  ocean  often  protect  that  portion  of  the  city 
from  a  low  fog  bank ;  but,  even  when  the  fog  bank  is  high,  and  envelops  San 
Francisco  in  its  humid  embrace.  Oakland  almost  invariably  escapes  it.     When  the 


:8  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

fog  bank  is  so  dense  and  heavy  that  the  depressions  in  the  mountain  range,  north 
and  south  of  us,  do  not  accommodate  it,  and  the  fog  from  either  direction  meets 
overhead,  it  is  generally  absorbed,  before  reaching  the  earth,  by  the  accumulation 
of  dry,  heated  air;  or  lifted  from  the  surface,  before  reaching  Oakland,  by  the 
upward  tendency  of  the  draught  which  must  pass  over  the  high  mountains  behind 
us.  Thus,  the  most  important  difference  between  the  climate  of  San  Francisco 
and  Oakland,  is  attributable  to  the  configuration  of  the  neighboring  mountains. 
The  movement  of  the  fog  indicates  the  force  and  direction  of  the  wind,  and  every 
boy  who  has  ever  sat  on  the  windward  side  of  a  board  fence,  and  enjoyed  being 
out  of  the  wind,  will  understand  the  foregoing  explanation. 

The  difference  in  temperature  between  Oakland  and  San  Francisco,  as 
indicated  by  the  thermometer,  is  not  so  great  as  many  persons  suppose ;  but  the 
difference  in  the  velocity  of  the  wind  and  in  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  is  the 
chief  cause  of  the  contrast  in  comfort  and  health  between  the  two  places. 

During  the  prevailing  summer  winds,  our  climate  is  a  mean  between  that  of 
San  Francisco  and  San  Jose".  Winds  from  the  north  or  north-west,  which  come 
in  a  direction  nearly  parallel  with  the  Coast  Range,  are  more  violent  at  Oakland 
than  at  San  Francisco ;  but  they  are  of  rare  occurrence. 


SOIL  AND  PRODUCTIONS. 

The  soil  of  Oakland  is  a  sandy  loam,  varying  from  three  to  four  feet  deep. 
Beyond  Oakland,  toward  the  foot-hills,  it  partakes  more  of  the  pure  loam,  or 
adobe.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  city  (the  part  toward  the  foot-hills)  it  is  less 
sandy  than  in  other  places.  The  apple,  pear,  plum,  cherry,  and  apricot,  are  pro- 
duced in  great  perfection  wheresoever  planted.  The  almond  also  thrives,  and 
bears  plentifully.  All  kinds  of  garden  vegetables,  except  the  egg-plant  and  okra, 
can  be  produced  at  will,  and  in  great  abundance.  Raspberries,  strawberries,  and 
currants,  thrive  and  bear  marvelously.  Shade  and  ornamental  trees  make  rapid 
growth,  as  the  gardens  on  every  side  attest.  So  much  has  been  written  about  our 
productions  that  we  were  inclined  to  omit  the  subject.  Indeed,  the  cultivation  of 
fruits  and  vegetables  has  almost  ceased  in  Oakland.  Ornamental  trees,  shrubs, 
and  flowers,  are  preferred.  The  nursery  gardens  in  the  vicinity  afford  an  evidence 
of  the  public  taste  for  the  beautiful  in  Nature.  For  example,  in  the  "Belle  View 
Nursery"  are  found  forty-two  varieties  of  the  acacia,  thirty-three  of  eucalyptus, 
ten  known  varieties  of  California  oak,  and  more  than  one  hundred  varieties  of 
coniferae,  to  say  nothing  of  thousands  of  shrubs  and  tens  of  thousands  of  flowers. 

As  a  rule,  we  can  gather  beautiful  bouquets  from  plants  in  the  open  air  every 
month  in  the  year.  In  sheltered  situations,  the  fuchsia,  oleander,  geranium,  and 
even  the  heliotrope,  withstand  our  severest  winters. 


THE  NATURAL  SUPPLY  OF  WATER. 

In  every  part  of  Oakland  water  can  be  obtained  from  wells  ranging  in  depth 
from  14  feet  to  35  feet.  Taking  the  neighborhood  of  Eighth  and  Center  streets 
as  the  mean,  we  find  two  wells,  eight  feet  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  twenty-five 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  iq 

feet  deep,  which  yield,  when  the  water  is  lowest,  all  that  can  be  pumped  by  a 
single-horse-power,  working  ten  hours  per  clay.  The  proprietor  of  one,  informs 
us  that,  at  times,  his  well  has  been  taxed  at  the  rate  of  10,000  gallons  per  day. 
Each  of  these  wells  has  preserved  the  verdure  of  extensive  lawns  during  the 
past  summer,  (the  driest  we  have  experienced),  and  the  water  in  both  is  soft  and 
pure.  A  corresponding  supply  of  water  is  obtainable  in  every  part  of  Oakland, 
from  wells  of  the  same  diameter;  but  the  requisite  depth  of  wells  depends  on  the 
profile  of  the  ground,  and  varies  as  before  mentioned. 

The  force  of  the  wind,  although  not  so  uniform,  nor  so  great,  in  this  neighbor- 
hood as  at  San  Francisco,  is  amply  sufficient  to  supply  the  requirements  for  both 
household  and  garden  purposes,  if  the  diameter  of  the  wells  and  the  size  of  the 
water-tanks  are  made  to  provide  against  the  contingency  of  an  occasional  period  of 
calm.  Experience  has  demonstrated  that  a  well  of  ten  feet  diameter,  with  a  good 
wind-mill  and  pump,  and  a  tank  of  12,000  gallons  capacity,  will,  with  judicious  man- 
agement, afford  water  enough  for  an  acre  of  lawn,  besides  what  is  needed  for  do- 
mestic purposes.     As  a  consequence,  wind*mills  are  quite  a  feature  of  Oakland. 

The  quality  of  ordinary  well-water  is  not  uniform.  Some  of  it  is  hard,  but,  with 
rare  exceptions,  it  is  all  pleasant  to  drink.  Judging  from  the  uniformity  of  the  sub- 
stratum of  indurated  sand  and  clay  which  underlies  the  site  of  Oakland,  we  are  in- 
clined to  believe  that  soft  water  can  be  obtained  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  if  wells  are 
sunk  to  the  proper  depth,  and  the  curbing  cemented  so  as  to  keep  out  surface 
water. 

The  stratum  of  indurated  sand  and  clay,  above  mentioned,  is  impenetrable  to 
surface  water,  and  makes  an  admirable  filter  for  water  percolating  through  it. 
Hence,  tf  the  curbing  of  wells  be  cemented  to  a  proper  depth,  and  packed  with 
clay  on  the  outside,  on  a  level  with  the  "hard  pan,"  even  the  proximity  of  cess-pools 
cannot  impair  the  purity  of  wells. 

All  efforts,  in  Oakland,  to  obtain  overflowing  artesian  wells,  have  failed,  but 
they  have  resulted  in  the  next  best  thing,  to  wit :  inexhaustible  wells  of  soft,  pure 
water  which  comes  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface.  We  know  of  four  such  wells 
in  as  many  different  parts  of  the  city. 

The  result  of  experimentation  in  artesian  welhboring  indicates  the  existence  of 
a  stratum  of  pebbles  and  red  gravel,  at  a  depth  of  less  than  one  hundred  feet, 
through  which  water  percolates  freely,  under  a  sufficient  pressure  to  bring  it  near 
the  surface ;  and  it  is  money  thrown  away  to  sink  an  artesian  well  below  the  stra- 
tum of  gravel.     The  water  obtained  from  the  latter  source  is  soft  and  pure. 

THE   CONTRA   COSTA   WATER   COMPANY 

Furnishes  the  following  statement  respecting  the  water  now  being  supplied  from 
the  mountain  range  back  of  Oakland : 

"The  water  is  collected  at  a  point  five  miles  from  the  city,  near  the  head  of 
Temescal  Creek,  where  two  streams  flow  constantly  into  a  reservoir.  '  The  water- 
shed supplying  the  streams,  above  the  reservoir,  embraces  an  area  of  three  thou- 
sand acres,  too  precipitous  for  cultivation.  It  is  estimated  that  a  rain-fall  of  twelve 
inches  upon  this  water-shed  will  furnish  more  than  one  thousand  millions  of  gal- 
lons. The  reservoir  capacity  is  now  small,  but  is  being  increased  to  about  two 
hundred  millions  of  gallons,  and  can  be  further  increased  as  occasion  requires." 

The  energy  exhibited  by  the  Company  is  highly  commendable.  It  has  already 
laid  about  thirty  miles  of  pipe,  ranging  in  size  from  three  to  fourteen  inches.     The 


20  OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 

estimate  of  the  water  supply  obtainable  from  this  source,  is  three  millions  of  gal- 
lons per  day. 

The  drought  of  the  present  year  (1871)  has  demonstrated  the  uncertainty  of  the 
Company's  calculations  ;  and  it  has  been  obliged  to  resort  to  artesian  wells,  and 
steam  power,  to  furnish  its  patrons  with  water.  The  charges,  for  domestic  pur- 
poses, are  the  same  as  at  San  Francisco. 

WATER   RESOURCES. 

In  Amador  Valley,  thirty  miles  from  Oakland,  there  is  an  abundance  of  soft, 
pure  water,  sufficient  to  supply  a  population  exceeding  half  a  million.  The  water- 
basin  is  the  receptacle  of  six  hundred  square  miles  of  adjacent  country,  with  its 
tributary  streams. 

The  water  exists  in  a  Tule  Lake,  partly  subterranean,  five  hundred  feet  above 
tide  level,  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  natural  wells,  which  are  full  to  the  brim  in 
the  driest  seasons.  During  ordinary  wet  seasons,  these  wells  overflow  and  inun- 
date a  large  surface.  The  sources  that  supply  the  lake  are  constant  —  the  most 
important  of  which  are  the  Los  Positas,  in  the  Livermore  plain ;  the  Arroyo 
Mocho,  and  the  Arroyo  del  Valle,  on  the  east  and  south;  the  Arroyo  el  Alamo, 
Arroyo  de  la  Tasajera,  the  Los  Alamos,  and  San  Cayetao  from  the  north.  Most  of 
these  are  living  streams  flowing  into  the  lake.  There  is  but  one  outlet  to  this  water 
— at  the  south-west  end  of  the  lake — debouching  from  which,  the  water  forms  the 
Laguna  Creek  that  flows  southerly,  parallel  with  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  six 
miles  to  Sunol  Valley.  There,  it  forms  a  junction  with  the  Alameda  Creek.  The 
water  from  the  two  sources  forms  a  large  and  beautiful  stream  which  meanders, 
side  by  side  with  the  railroad,  through  the  Alameda  Canon  to  Vallejo's  Mill, 
(See  map.)  Thence,  it  flows  south-westerly,  by  the  town  of  Alvarado,  to*the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco. 

By  diverting  the  water  at  the  junction  of  the  streams,  and  conveying  it  along 
the  mountain -sides,  through  the  canon,  five  miles  to  Vallejo's  Mill;  thence,  west- 
erly, along  the  foot-hills  to  Hayward's ;  the  San  Lorenzo  Creek,  a  large  and  rapid 
stream,  could  be  made  tributary.  Four  miles  nearer  Oakland,  is  the  San  Leandro 
Creek,  likewise  available  as  a  tributary,  and  which,  alone,  would  furnish  a  supply 
of  water  for  a  population  of  fifty  thousand. 

The  water  from  these  sources  would  not  only  afford  Oakland  an  ample  supply, 
for  many  generations,  but  the  places  on  and  near  the  line  of  approach,  including 
Niles'  Station,  Decoto,  Alvarado,  Hayward's,  San  Leandro,  Alameda,  and  Brook- 
lyn, could  reap  a  similar  benefit. 

The  foot-hills  present  the  convenience  for  conveying  the  water  from  the  above- 
mentioned  sources  to  a  grand  reservoir  back  of  Oakland,  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  highest  part  of  the  city. 

North  -  west  of  the  city,  there  are  also  sources  whence  supplies  are  obtainable, 
the  most  important  of  which  are  the  San  Pablo  Creek,  fifteen  miles  distant,  and 
the  Wildcat  Creek,  near  the  State  University  grounds.  The  water  from  both  could 
be  brought  to  the  grand  reservoir. 

We  are  not  prepared  with  estimates  of  the  cost  of  obtaining  this  great  water 
supply;  but  from  information  given  us  by  skillful  engineers  who  have  examined 
the  ground,  we  can  safely  say  that  it  would  be  trifling,  in  comparison  with  its  im- 
portance. 

The  subject  is  already  attracting  the  attention  of  enterprising  men,  and  is 
worthy  that  of  our  city  authorities. 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  21 

STREETS. 

The  aggregate  length  of  all  the  streets  in  Oakland,  is,  in  round  numbers,  one 
hundred  and  five  miles,  of  which  fourteen  miles  have  been  macadamized  and  other- 
wise improved.  The  streets  are  generally  eighty  feet  wide,  and  in  most  cases  cross 
each  other  at  right  angles.  Broadway,  the  principal  thoroughfare,  is  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  in  width,  the  sidewalks  being  twenty  feet  wide.  The  streets  are  mac- 
adamized with  a  hard,  blue  trap  rock,  of  a  very  superior  quality,  which  is  found  in 
great  abundance  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  city. 

The  following  are  streets,  and  portions  of  streets,  that  were  graded,  macadam- 
ized, and  curbed,  during  1870: 

Oak  Street,  from  Seventh  to  Twelfth 1,320  feet. 

Julia  Street,  from  Eighth  to  Ninth 200  " 

Alice  Street,  from  Eighth  to  Fourteenth 1,520  " 

Washington  Street,  from  Eighth  to  Fourteenth I>55°  " 

Clay  Street,  from  Eighth  to  Tenth 480  " 

Brush  Street,  from  First  to  Twelfth 2,760  " 

Market  Street,  from  Seventh  to  Forty-second 4,420  " 

Sixth  Street,  from  Castro  to  Franklin 2,040  " 

Seventh  Street,  from  Broadway  to  Franklin 300  " 

Ninth  Street,  from  Clay  to  Oak 3, 020  " 

Tenth  Street,  from  Broadway  to  Alice 1,360  " 

Fourteenth  Street,  from  Broadway  to  Washington 300  " 

Total 19,240  feet. 

The  average  cost  of  macadamizing  is  estimated  at  6}{  cents  per  square  foot. 

Nineteen  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty  lineal  feet  of  roadway  and  crossings, 

converted  into  square  feet,  gives : 

926,840  feet,  at  6j^  cents $57,927  50 

35,199  feet  curbing,  at  12^  cents 4>233  88 

Engineering,  advertising,  and  culverts 3,000  00 

Total  cost $65,161  38 


GRADES. 

The  city  of  Oakland  is  situated  on  a  peninsula  extending  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from  north  to  south,  and  two  and  one -half  miles  from  east  to  west.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  south  and  east  by  San  Antonio  Creek,  on  the  west  by  the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco,  and  on  the  north  by  the  charter  line,  established  by  Act  of  the 
Legislature,  in  May,  1852.  The  highest  ground  in  the  city  is  found  about  midway 
between  the  northerly  and  southerly  boundaries,  and  is  thirty-eight  feet  above  the 
level  of  high  tide.  From  this  water-shed  the  ground  slopes  with  remarkable  uni- 
formity, southerly  and  easterly,  to  the  estuary,  and  northerly,  to  a  depression  near 
the  charter  line,  and  to  the  salt  marsh  along  the  shore  of  the  bay.  Sufficient  fall 
is  everywhere  obtained  for  surface  drainage,  and  no  serious  difficulty  is  encounter- 
ed in  establishing  surface  grades. 

Something  over  a  year  ago,  the  Common  Council  appointed  a  Board  of  Engi- 
neers, "to  examine  the  plans  and  profiles  of  the  city  of  Oakland,  to  suggest  changes, 


22  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

if  any  they  may  deem  necessary,  and  to  report  a  plan  of  street  grades,  lines,  and  a 
system  of  sewerage  for  the  whole  city."  The  Board  was  composed  of  George  F. 
Allardt,  Chief  Engineer  of  State  Tide  Lands ;  Prof.  George  Davidson,  Assistant 
U.  S.  Coast  Survey;  George  E.  Gray,  Consulting  Engineer  Central  Facific  Rail- 
road Company ;  Milo  Hoadley,  President  of  the  late  Board  of  Engineers  of  San 
Francisco,  and  William  F.  Boardman,  late  City  Engineer  of  Oakland. 

It  has  seldom  been  the  fortune  of  any  city  to  obtain  the  combined  services  of 
the  same  number  of  engineers  so  eminent  in  their  profession  and  so  well  qualified 
in  every  respect  to  deal  with  the  important  problems  submitted  to  this  Board. 

In  due  time  they  presented  an  elaborate  report,  and  all  street  improvements 
and  other  public  works  are  now  executed  in  accordance  with  their  recommenda- 
tions. On  the  uplands,  the  grades  adopted  by*  the  Board  conform  to  the  natural 
surface  of  the  ground,  so  far  as  is  consistent  with  an  efficient  system  of  drainage 
and  sewage.  On  the  salt  marshes  and  tide  lands  along  the  water-front,  while 
due  regard  is  given  to  the  future  commercial  requirements  of  the  city,  the  grade  is 
not  placed  so  high  as  to  be  onerous  or  oppressive  to  the  property-owners. 


SEWERS. 

It  is  proposed  to  construct  two  main  sewers  of  sufficient  capacity  to  receive  the 
surface  and  sewer  drainage  of  the  entire  peninsula.  One,  along  or  near  San 
Antonio  Estuary,  and  the  other  through  the  depression  near  the  charter  line  on 
the  north.  The  aggregate  length  of  the  two  sewers  will  be  about  five  miles.  The 
tidal  waters  retained  in  Lake  Peralta,  at  the  eastern  terminus  of  San  Antonio 
Creek,  will  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  flushing  the  main  sewers  at  stated  intervals. 
The  bottom  of  the  upper  end,  or  inlet,  of  either  sewer  will  be  placed  one  foot  below 
high  tide ;  the  bottom  of  the  outlet  at  the  Bay,  one  foot  below  low  tide  —  giving  a 
fall  of  six  and  a  half  feet,  which  is  sufficient  to  keep  the  sewers  free  from  all  deposits. 

Surface  water,  and  house  sewage,  will  be  conveyed  to  the  main  sewer  by  means 
of  smaller  lateral  sewers  of  cement  pipes,  twelve  inches  in  diameter.  Gradients 
of  one  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  can  be  obtained  in  the  most  unfavorable  localities. 
The  projected  system  of  sewage  is  admirable,  and  its  cost  will  be  unusually  small. 


STONE  QUARRIES. 

There  are  inexhaustible  supplies  of  basaltic  trap  rock  found  in  the  foothills, 
within  a  distance  of  from  two  to  three  miles  north-easterly  from  Oakland.  There 
are  now  two  macadamizing  companies  engaged  in  paving  the  streets  of  Oakland 
and  Brooklyn,  with  rock  obtained  from  the  above-mentioned  source,  and  they 
employ  about  one  hundred  men.  Both  companies  have  machines  for  crushing  the 
material  and  graduating  its  size.  The  crushing  capacity  of  each  is  from  seven  to 
ten  tons  per  hour.  The  character  of  our  paving  far  excels  the  old  fashioned  mac- 
adamizing, and  the  quality  of  the  material,  for  paving  purposes,  is  not  surpassed 
elsewhere  in  the  world.     The  cost  of  paving  is  mentioned  on  another  page. 

Ledges  of  excellent  sandstone  are  also  found  in  the  hills,  at  a  short  distance 
beyond  where  the  material  for  macadamizing  is  obtained,  and  the  stone  is  being 
used  for  building  purposes. 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 


23 


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24 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 


SANITARY  AND  MORTUARY. 

From  a  sanitary  point  of  view,  Oakland  stands  unrivaled  among  the  cities  of 
the  Pacific  slope.  This  is  a  bold  assertion ;  nevertheless,  it  is  confirmed  by  official 
records. 

We  shall  not  enumerate  the  causes  which  render  Oakland  so  eminently  desirable 
as  a  place  for  family  residences,  but  we  shall  proceed  to  prove  that  not  another  of 
the  principal  cities  in  the  State  can  claim  such  exemption  from  sickness  and  death. 

We  quote  the  recent  census  reports  respecting  the  population  of  the  several 
cities ;  and  the  mortuary  statistics  are  summarized  from  the  reports  of  Dr.  Logan, 
President  of  the  State  Board  of  Health,  published  in  the  San  Francisco  Medical 
Journal. 

NUMBER  OF  DEATHS  DURING  THE  YEAR  ENDING  JUNE  30,  1 87 1. 


1870. 

1871. 

0 
? 

3.214 
392 
117 
180 
179 

0 

CITIES. 

<— 1 

c 

> 

c 

O 

•z 

0 
< 

0 

n 
a 

a 

> 

•0 

g 

u 
*< 

^— 1 

5 
a 

5' 

a 

Sin  Francisco 

298 

7 
23 
t6 

281 
31 

10 

14 
14 

264 
29 

7 

16 
21 

309 
5° 
13 
17 
16 

347 
46 

9 
16 
10 

266 

33 
12 
18 

24| 

298 
28 
12 
22 
J9 

245 

24 

13 

9 

18 

227 
31 

7 
9 
9 

232 

24 

9 

4 

*9 

226 

39 
10 
12 
*9 

221 

26 

8i 
2d 

14 

150,361 

16,298 

11,104 

10,033 

9,091 

Sacramento 

Oakland 

Stockton 

San  Jose 

*  The  deaths  afc  San  Jos<5  during  April  and  May,  1871,  do  not  appear  in  Dr.  Logan's  Reports  ;  and  to  avoid 
injustice,  as  between  Oakland  and  San  Jose,  we  have  inserted  figures  corresponding  with  the  minimum 
reports  of  other  months. 

Discarding  the  decimals,  the  above  exhibit  shows,  during  the  twelve  months, 
one  death  in  San  Francisco  to  about  every  46  inhabitants ;  in  Sacramento,  one  to 
42;  in  Oakland,  one  to  95  ;  in  Stockton,  one  to  56;  and  in  San  Jose,  one  to  51. 

It  is  but  fair  to  deduct  from  the  deaths  set  down  to  San  Francisco,  the  number 
which  resulted  from  suicides  and  casualties ;  and  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
many  persons  afflicted  with  disease  contracted  elsewhere,  visit  San  Francisco  for 
medical  treatment ;  and  the  proportion  of  these  who  die,  should  also  be  deducted 
from  her  mortuary  reports,  when  we  are  comparing  sanitary  conditions.  Deducting 
143  deaths  from  her  12  months'  report  to  cover  the  former,  and  12.  per  cent,  from 
the  remaining  2,702,  to  compensate  the  latter,  the  result  will  show  nearly  double 
the  tiumber  of  deaths  in  San  Francisco,  in  proportion  to  the  population,  as  have 
occurred  in  Oakland. 

The  comparison  between  Oakland  and  the  other  cities,  is  no  less  wonderful ; 
and,  considering  that  Oakland  is  a  favorite  resort  for  persons  suffering  from  disease, 
the  above  exhibit  will  astonish  the  people  of  Oakland  little  less  than  persons  abroad. 

DURATION   OF   SICKNESS. 

Before  concluding,  we  will  refer  to  a  collateral  fact,  alike  unprecedented  in 
sanitary  annals,  yet,  supported  by  incontestable  evidence.  For  the  purpose  of  get- 
ting information  concerning  the  average  duration  of  sickness  in  Oakland  and 
vicinity,  we  have  examined,  by  permission,  the  books  of  two  of  our  most  prominent 
physicians.  We  took  the  aggregate  of  the  visits  made  by  the  two  physicians  for 
six  months,  and  divided  the  sum  by  the  total  number  of  patients  visited.     The 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  25 

result  was  an  average  of  four  and  one-third  visits  to  each  case.  By  leaving  out 
of  the  calculation  several  desperate  cases,  the  average  would  be  considerably  less. 
The  books  of  the  aforesaid  physicians  will  be  cheerfully  submitted  to  the  inspec- 
tion of  any  respectable  practitioner  who  may  think  we  have  committed  an  error. 

Is  there  another  city  in  the  United  States  whose  population  enjoy  such  exemp- 
tion from  sickness  and  death?  If  there  be  one,  sign-boards  should  be  erected 
on  every  highway  and  lane  approaching  it,  warning  physicians  and  undertakers  of 
the  danger  from  starvation  attending  a  residence  within. 

At  the  request  of  the  Publication  Committee,  we  have  investigated  the  data  of  the  foregoing  article, 
and  found  it  to  be  correct.  Clinton  Cushinc,  M.D.,  Prest.  Alameda  Co.  Medical  Association. 

John  C.  Van  Wyck,  M.D.,  Librarian. 
Oakland,  Oct.  1,  1871. 


DRIVES  AND  SCENERY. 

There  are  few  places  upon  earth  which  are  more  inviting  to  those  fond  of  out- 
door exercise,  than  Oakland  and  its  vicinity.  If  it  be  true — as  it  unquestionably 
is — that  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  is  the  finest  and  most  picturesque  in  the  world, 
not  even  excepting  the  Bay  of  Naples,  and  the  magnificent  harbor  of  Rio  Janeiro, 
it  is  no  less  true  that  the  site  of  Oakland  affords  the  most  beautiful  view  of  that 
Bay,  and  the  most  delightful  of  the  valleys  by  which  it  is  environed.  Here,  the 
Coast  Range,  generally  so  abrupt  and  rocky,  recedes  gradually  into  a  vale  miles  in 
width,  and  slopes  with  a  gentle  declivity  to  the  waters  of  the  Bay  that  bathe  its 
borders  with  the  health -inspiring  ripples  of  the  Ocean,  just  visible  through  the 
opening  of  the  Golden  Gate.  Eastward,  the  summit  of  Mount  Diablo  presents 
one  of  the  loftiest  peaks  from  San  Diego  to  Shasta  Butte.  Westward,  gleams  the 
broad  bosom  of  the  Bay,  bordered  in  the  distance  by  the  triple  hills  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  blue  summits  of  the  San  Bruno  Range,  and  the  slumbering  valleys  of 
San  Mateo.  Northward,  stretch  the  fruitful  orchards  of  San  Pablo,  the  green  hills 
of  Carquinez,  and  the  fairy  islets  of  Golden  Rock  and  The  Sisters;  while  south- 
ward, the  old  Mission  of  San  Jose"  looms  up  in  the  distance  like  a  glimpse  of  Eden; 
and  the  most  fertile  of  hills,  and  dales,  and  plains,  commingle  in  the  view,  assuring 
the  spectator  that  no  land  on  the  globe  unites  in  itself  blessings  more  varied,  or 
landscapes  more  enchanting,  than  those  which  greet  the  eye  from  the  flower-enam- 
eled plain  of  Alameda. 

Here,  are  no  toll-roads,  to  check  adventure  and  tax  the  pleasure -seeker  with 
their  oppressive  exactions.  There  are  no  craggy  precipices  to  climb,  or  soft  mo- 
rasses to  cross ;  but  the  country  is  intersected  with  highways  attesting  the  genius 
of  MacAdam,  and  leveled  like  the  thoroughfares  of  Holland.  Are  you  weary  of 
city  life,  and  require  the  mountain  air  to  invigorate  your  frame  ?  Scale  the  summit 
of  Mount  Diablo !  Are  you  ill,  and  need  the  waters  of  old  Ponce  de  Leon  to  re- 
animate you  with  the  vigor  of  perpetual  youth  ?  Go  and  bathe  in  the  fountains  of 
the  old  Mission  San  Jose" !  Are  you  fond  of  sport  ?  Shoulder  your  gun  and  gath- 
er quail  from  the  foothills,  or  rig  your  fishing-tackle  and  bait  for  smelt  or  silver-fins, 
for  trout  or  perch,  off  the  ends  of  our  piers,  or  in  the  shady  nooks  of  the  San  Le- 
andro !  Are  you  a  lover  of  Nature  ?  Mount  your  horse,  and  thread  the  grounds 
of  the  State  University  !  Visit  the  gems  of  the  foot-hill  farms  !  Climb  the  gentle 
acclivities  of  the  Coast  Range!     And,  turning  suddenly  in  the  saddle,  cast  your 


26  OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 

eyes  on  the  slumbering  landscape  at  your  feet !  Where  upon  the  broad  earth  can 
your  gaze  meet  with  so  enchanting  a  spectacle  ?  Vineyard,  orchard,  and  garden  ; 
fountain,  bay,  and  ocean ;  plain,  meadow,  and  mountain,  blend  in  a  unison  so  per- 
fect, that  you  feel  there  can  be  no  spot  where  Nature  presents  greater  inducements 
for  homes,  than  the  gorgeous  queen  of  the  valleys,  the  beautiful  bride  of  the  Bay, 
the  flourishing  city  of  Oakland. 


WHAT  NATURE  HAS  DONE. 

She  has  given  us  a  climate  unsurpassed  in  the  world — preserving  the  health  of 
those  who  are  not  afflicted,  and  imparting  health  to  those  who  are. 

She  has  given  us  a  soil,  in  harmony  with  the  climate,  which  affords  sustenance 
to  nearly  every  description  of  plants  and  trees. 

She  has  given  us  a  site  for  a  city  which,  comparatively  speaking,  is  already 
graded ;  she  has  ornamented  it  with  a  profusion^of  majestic  oaks,  and  sent  larks 
and  linnets  to  perch  upon  the  boughs  and  delight  us  with  their  warbling. 

She  has  given  us  a  never -failing  supply  of  pure  water  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
surface,  and  she  guards  it  from  contamination  by  a  formation  of  sand  and  clay, 
impervious  to  surface  water. 

She  has  placed,  within  a  convenient  distance,  inexhaustible  supplies  of  pure 
water  which  may  be  conducted,  by  gravitation,  alone,  to  the  tops  of  our  highest 
buildings. 

She  has  placed,  close  at  hand,  ledges  of  stone  admirably  adapted  to  building 
and  macadamizing. 

She  has  surrounded  us  with  scenery  which  delights  the  eye,  expands  the  mind, 
and  animates  the  spirits. 

She  has  given  us,  in  common  with  San  Francisco,  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in 
the  world ;  and  she  has  banished  the  teredo  from  our  shores. 

She  has  given  us  a  solid  foundation  for  buildings  and  wharves,  from  high-water 
mark  to  ship-channel;  and  she  deposits  her  mud  elsewhere. 

She  has  made  depressions  in  the  mountain  ranges  which  lead  the  locomotive 
to  our  wharves  to  meet  the  commerce  of  the  ocean ;  and  has  ordained  Oakland  as 
the  great  terminus  of  the  railroad  system  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 


STREET  RAILROADS. 

The  contour  of  Oakland  and  the  surrounding  country,  being  almost  level,  or 
gently  undulating,  is  peculiarly  well  adapted  to  horse-railroad  enterprises.  There 
is  one  already  in  successful  operation,  extending  from  the  foot  of  Broadway  to 
Telegraph  Avenue,  and  thence  to  Temescal  Bridge.  Its  franchise  extends  to  the 
State  University  grounds.  Its  present  track  is  three  miles  in  length,  and  the  cars 
and  horses  used  by  the  road  company  compare  favorably  with  those  used  in  San 
Francisco.  The  success  of  the  enterprise  has  stimulated  the  projection  of  other 
horse -railroads,  among  the  most  important  of  which  is  one  designed  to  connect 
Fruit  Vale  and  Brooklyn  with  the  University  grounds,  and  one  to  connect  the  San 
Francisco  and  Oakland  Road  with  the  University  grounds,  via  Peralta  street.    The 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  27 

latter  will  be  built  and  owned  by  the  C.  P.  R.  R.  Company.  The  Oakland  and 
San  Pablo  Avenue  Company,  and  the  San  Pablo,  Webster  Street,  and  Alameda 
Company,  have  also  located  routes  of  great  importance  ;  and  the  roads  already 
projected  will  form,  when  completed,  a  cordon  of  iron  rails  which  will  afford  the 
people  of  Oakland,  and  the  neighboring  towns,  cheap  and  constant  facilities  of 
communication  with  each  other,  and  with  the  State  University. 
* 


OAKLAND  GAS-LJGHT  COMPANY. 

This  Company  has  fourteen  miles  of  "mains"  already  laid  in  Oakland,  besides 
extensions  to  and  about  the  town  of  Brooklyn.  The  present  capacity  of  the  wbrks 
is  one  hundred  thousand  feet  per  day,  and  the  quality  of  the  gas. is  not  surpassed 
by  that  of  any  other  company  in  California.  There  are  few,  if  any,  cities  in  the 
United  States  of  an  equal  number  of  inhabitants,  wherein  such  an  extent  of  °-as- 
mains  has  been  laid.  The  quantity  of  gas  consumed  is  not  commensurate  with 
the  extent  of  the  mains ;  but  that  militates  against  the  Company,  and  in  favor  of 
property-owners,  and  of  those  who  desire  to  build  houses  and  to  enjoy  the  luxury 
of  gas-light. 

A  Pneumatic  Gas  Company  has  obtained  a  franchise  for  laying  pipe  in  Oak- 
land; but  whether  or  not  its  pipe  will  be  lighted,  remains  to  be  seen. 


LAND  TITLES. 


The  stability  of  the  title  to  real  estate  in  Oakland  and  Brooklyn  townships,  rec- 
ommends it  strongly  for  investment  and  homestead  purposes.  It  is  a  fundamental 
principle  in  English  and  Spanish  law,  derived  from  the  maxims  of  the  feudal  tenures 
that  the  King  was  the  original  proprietor  of  all  land  in  the  Kingdom,  and  of  all 
territories  acquired  (like  California)  by  discovery  and  colonization,  and  that  he  was 
the  only  and  true  source  of  title.  In  the  United  States,  the  same  principle  has 
been  adopted.  All  valid  individual  titles  to  land  in  California  are,  therefore,  de- 
rived from  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and  the  State  of  California 
— from  the  latter  subordinately,  and  only  for  land  covered  by  tide-water ;  or,  from 
the  Spanish  Crown,  prior  to  the  28th  of  September,  1821 — the  day  recognized  in 
law  as  the  date  of  the  independence  of  the  Mexican  nation ;  or,  from  the  Govern- 
ment of  Mexico  up  to  the  7th  of  July,  1846,  when  the  United  States  took  posses- 
sion of  this  State  which  was  subsequently  ceded  to  them  by  the  Treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo,  February  2d,  1848 — by  which  treaty  all  governmental  grants,  pre- 
viously made,  were  confirmed. 

Thus,  was  the  title  to  the  lands  in  the  city  of  Oakland,  and  the  town  of  Brook- 
lyn, together  with  that  of  the  surrounding  country,  comprising  about  twenty- five 
thousand  acres,  derived  from  the  Mexican  Government,  through  a  grant  made  in 
1820  to  Don  Luis  Peralta,  in  recognition  of  his  meritorious  services  in  the  con- 
quest of  California. 

Peralta  divided  his  rancho,  first,  by  actual  partition  in  1846,  and  afterward  (in 
185 1)  by  will,  between  his  four  sons,  Jose"  Domingo,  Vicente,  Antonio,  and  Imacio, 


28  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

whose  titles  have  since  been  recognized  and  confirmed  by  the  United  States  Courts. 
Efforts  were  made  to  assail  and  cloud  fractional  parts  of  the  title  of  these  brothers, 
but  the  Courts  have  rejected,  and  declared  invalid,  all  adverse  claims. 

No  real  estate  can  be  held  under  a  better  title  than  that  which  is  derived  from 
the  brothers  Peralta. 


THE  PRICE  OF  HOMESTEAD  SITES. 

In  all  places  where  people  most  do  congregate,  the  active  competition  for  the 
possession  of  land,  causes  the  value  of  real  estate  to  rise  with  the  increase  of  in- 
habitants. Thus,  has  property  in  San  Francisco  become  very  valuable,  mostly  in 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  city,  specially  devoted  to  business  in  its  various  branch- 
es ;  'thence,  southerly,  over  flat  lands ;  and  westerly,  over  hills  and  through  dales, 
in  all  inhabitable  directions,  where  year  by  year  dwellings  multiply. 

But  this  increase  in  value  is  not  confined  to  the  limits  of  the  metropolis.  It 
spreads  for  miles  over  neighboring  localities  which  are  attractive  for  family  resi- 
dences, as  they  are  brought  nearer  by  means  of  increasing  facilities  for  travel. 

It  is  so  with  the  surroundings  of  New  York,  and  all  large  cities ;  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  last  few  years  plainly  indicates  that  the  same  causes  are  producing  like 
results  here.  The  attention  of  those  whose  interests  or  preferences  have  called 
them  to  San  Francisco,  has,  of  late  years,  been  more  and  more  directed,  for  cli- 
matic and  other  reasons,  toward  suburban  retreats,  chiefly  in  the  direction  of  Oak- 
land and  vicinity.  Values  have  consequently  increased,  but,  apparently,  not  in  pro- 
portion to  the  progress  in  population  and  improvements,  nor  to  the  prospective 
importance  of  the  locality. 

The  object  of  this  article  is  to  invite  attention  to  the  very  considerable  differ- 
ence which  still  exists  in  the  value  of  residence  property  in  San  Francisco,  as  com- 
pared with  that  in  Oakland  and  Brooklyn.  Various  considerations  may  lead  peo- 
ple to  prefer  a  residence  outside  of  the  great  city  to  one  within,  and  not  the  least 
among  these  is  the  larger  quantity  of  ground  obtainable  for  the  -same  amount  of 
money. 

For  this  purpose  it  will  be  useful  to  compare  the  value  of  residence  property  in 
the  places  named,  for  lots  of  different  depths,  on  streets  of  different  widths — items 
which  enter  largely  into  calculations  of  value. 

It  is  evident  that  no  very  precise  comparison  of  one  locality  with  another  can 
be  made,  as  no  two  localities  can  be  said  to  offer  exactly  the  same  advantages ; 
nor,  owing  to  the  diversity  of  individual  appreciation,  are  they  susceptible  of  being 
judged  by  the  same  standard. 

The  information,  herewith  submitted,  has  been  obtained  from  reliable  sources. 
Opinions  on  values  will  always  differ,  more  or  less,  but  the  valuations  have  been 
carefully  made,  though  necessarily  in  a  general  way,  and  are  intended  to  represent 
prices  which  can  be  realized  when  opportunities  for  sales  occur.  All  quotations 
are  stated  per  foot  frontage  for  inside  lots  —  co'rner  lots  being  worth  from  ten  to 
thirty  per  cent.  more. 

In  San  Francisco,  on  streets  82^  feet  wide,  like  Mission,  Howard,  and  Folscm 
Streets,  property  ranges,  for  lots  80  to  90  feet  deep,  from  Fourth  to  Seventh,  at 
$125  to  $200  per  foot  frontage;  and  lots  beyond  Seventh,  to  Fourteenth,  at  $75  to 
$100  ^farther  southerly,  to  Twentieth  Street,  $60  to  $75,  and  on  Valencia,  $80  to 


OAKLAND   AND \  VICINITY.  29 

$90;  on  Van  Ness  Avenue,  $120  to  $150;  on  the  other  streets,  in  the  Mayes  and 
Beideman  tracts,  about  69  feet  wide,  lots  120  feet  deep  are  worth  $60  to  $100  per 
front  foot. 

In  Oakland,  east  from  Market  Street,  lots  100  feet  deep  on  all  the  So  feet  streets 
north  of  Railroad  Avenue  or  Seventh  Street,  sell  for  $27.50  to  $50  per  foot  front- 
age ;  and  south  of  Seventh  Street,  at  $22.50  to  $30.  On  Adeline  and  Market 
Streets,  both  80  feet  wide,  lots  125  and  130  feet  deep,  between  Seventh  and  Twen- 
ty-second Streets,  bring  $27.50  to  $45  per  front  foot. 

Again,  in  San  Francisco,  on  Stevenson,  Jessie,  Minna,  Natoma,  and  similar 
streets,  only  35  feet  wide,  lots  70  to  80  feet  deep,  between  Fourth  and  Seventh 
Streets,  bring  readily  $50  to  $60  per  foot  frontage,  and  from  Seventh  to  Tenth, 
about  $40. 

Oakland  and  Brooklyn  have  ho  streets  of  such  limited  width  —  the  narrowest 
measuring  60  feet.  On  the  60  feet  streets  in  Oakland,  property  sells  as  follows  : 
North  of  Seventh,  to  Fourteenth,  between  Market  and  Adeline,  $30  per  foot  front- 
age, 125  feet  deep;  from  Fourteenth  to  Eighteenth,  between  Market  and  Adeline, 
125  feet  deep,  $16  to  $22.50;  between  Kirkham  and  Peralta,  north  of  Four- 
teenth Street,  104  feet  deep,  $12  to  $20;  between  Peralta,  Pine,  Eighth,  and 
Twelfth  Streets,  near  the  Point,  lots  135  feet  deep,  $22.50  to  $25;  between  Ade- 
line and  Peralta,  Seventh  and  Fourteenth,  lots  125  feet  deep,  $20  to  $22.50;  at 
the  Point,  both  north  and  south  of  Seventh  Street,  lots  100  feet  deep,  $22.50  to 
$30;  north  of  Twenty- s'econd  Street  and  west  of  the  San  Pablo  Road,  lots 
125  feet  deep,  $10;  east  of  the%said  road,  lots  no  feet  deep,  $15  to  $20  per  foot 
frontage. 

In  Brooklyn,  property  on  60  feet  streets  is  worth:  West  of  Walker,  and  south 
of  Humbert  Streets,  lots  150  feet  deep,  $10  to  $15  per  foot  frontage  ;  north  of  Hep- 
burn Street,  lots  140  to  150  feet  deep,  $5  to  $10. 

The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  reference  has  been  made  solely  to  residence 
property,  and  our  allusions  to  San  Francisco  values  do  not  refer  to  certain  favored 
localities  where  even  residence  property  is  held  as  high  as  $300  per  front  foot. 
Respecting  business  property,  those  who  desire  to  purchase,  may  seek  information 
for  themselves.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  business  property  is  far  more 
valuable  in  San  Francisco  than  in  Oakland. 


BUILDING  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  OAKLAND. 

On  January  2d,  the  Oakland  Daily  Transcript  published  a  table  showing  the 
location  and  value  of  the  buildings  erected  in  this  city  during  the  year  1870,  from 
which  it  appears  that  615  houses  were  built,  at  a  total  cost  of  $1,405,150.  Since 
the  first  of  January,  1871,  a  very  large  number  of  buildings  have  been  commenced, 
and  the  improvements  for  1871  are  very  likely  to  exceed  in  value  those  made  in 
1870,  by  at  least  half  a  million  dollars. 


COST  OF  BUILDING. 

The  cost  of  building  in  Oakland  is  somewhat  less  than  in  San  Francisco.  The 
lumber-yards,  and  the  planing-mills,  are  conveniently  located,  and  the  ground 
which  they  occupy  is  much  less  valuable  than  that  occupied  by  similar  establish- 


3o  OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 

ments  in  San  Francisco.  Bricks  and  stone  are  obtainable  cheaper  here  than  at 
San  Francisco ;  castings  are  supplied  by  the  local  foundry ;  and,  generally  speak- 
ing, no  grading  or  filling  is  required. 


MANUFACTURING  PROSPECTS. 

The  map  of  Oakland  shows  the  outlines  of  the  contemplated  improvements  of 
the  Water  Front  Company.  The  most  important  features  of  the  project  are  the 
dredging  of  the  Bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  San  Antonio  Estuary,  the  cribbing  of  both 
banks,  from  ship -channel  to  the  head  of  the  southerly  arm,  a  distance  of  over  five 
miles,  and  the  widening  and  deepening  of  the  channel  where  necessary. 

There  will  be  a  continuous  wharf  between  the  water  and  the  first  tier  of  blocks 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  channel,  from  its  mouth  to  Broadway  Street.  A  wide 
street  is  provided  for,  in  the  rear  of  the  tier  of  blocks,  to  accommodate  as  many 
rail  tracks  as  may  be  needed.  These  tracks  will  lead  to  the  main  trunk  of  the  C. 
P.  R.  R.  Thus,  a  manufacturing  establishment  situated  upon  any  of  the  aforesaid 
blocks  will  be  able  to  receive  or  deliver  freight  at  "ship's  tackles,"  at  the  front 
doors,  and  to  load  or  unload  cars  at  the  back  doors.  If  desirable,  "turn-outs"  can 
be  laid  from  the  street,  passing  through  the  building  to  the  water ;  and  it  requires 
no  gift  of  prophecy  to  predict  that,  as  the  projected  i improvements  are  made,  the 
heavy  manufacturing  business  of  the  Bay  counties  will  concentrate  where  such  fa- 
cilities for  economizing  are  provided  :  and  there  is  not  another  place  about  the  Bay 
where  it  is  possible  to  provide  them.  The  perusal  of  our  remarks  under  the  head 
of  "  The  Estuary  of  San  Antonio,"  will  give  the  reader  additional  light  concerning 
the  vast  prospective  importance  of  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Oakland. 


BRIDGING  THE  BAY. 

Some  of  our  San  Francisco  neighbors  seem  much  alarmed  about  commercial 
prospects  at  Oakland,  and  are  indulging  extraordinary  vagaries  respecting  things 
which  they  deem  necessary  to  save  their  city  from  decay. 

The  fact  is,  San  Francisco  is  more  interested  than  Oakland,  in  commerce  at 
Oakland.  That  is  to  say,  150,000  people  are  more  interested  than  11,000  people, 
in  reducing  the  cost  of  handling  exports  and  imports.  For  example,  unless  we 
can  compete  with  other  countries,  in  shipping  grain  to  distant  markets,  the  culti- 
vation of  grain  in  California,  except  for  home  consumption,  will,  cease,  and  every 
branch  of  industry  and  trade  in  San  Francisco  would  suffer.  On  the  contrary,  if, 
by  means  of  machinery,  and  the  economical  handling  of  the  grain  crops,  farmers 
have  the  assurance  of  realizing  a  profit,  they  will  seed  more  land,  and  every  branch 
of  industry  and  trade  in  San  Francisco  will  be  stimulated  by  the  success  of  the 
farmers.  * 

This  proposition  is  as  simple  as  "rolling  off  a  log;"  yet,  a  portion  of  the  press 
and  of  the  people  of  San  Francisco  are  exercised  at  the  economical  arrangements 
at  Oakland,  for  handling  our  export  products;  and  are  proposing  to  tax  the  com- 
munity for  the  purpose  of  supplying  other,  and  far  less  economical,  arrangements 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  31 

elsewhere.  The)'  are  even  advocating  the  vandalism  of  destroying  half  the  value 
of  a  great  harbor  which  belongs  to  the  Commerce  of  the  World,  in  the  vain  hope 
of  forcing  business  into  an  unnatural  channel. 

They  are  horrified  at  the  laying  of  a  "gas-main"  across  Mission  Creek,  where 
hogs  wallow  at  low  tide  ;  but  are  in  ecstasies  at  the  thought  of  cutting  off  more 
than  ninety-two  sqttarc  miles  of  the  navigable  waters  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco, 
from  free  commerce  witli  the  ocean,  by  constructing  a  bridge  from  Alameda,  or 
Oakland,  to  San  Francisco. 

Nor  is  this  all:  The  conductors  of  the  San  Francisco  press  are  well  aware 
that  solemn  warnings  have  been  uttered  by  the  highest  hydrographical  authorities 
in  the  United  States,  against  obstructing  the  currents  of  the  Bay,  in  any  way  that 
might  decrease,  to  a  great  extent,  its  tidal  area ;  for,  upon  the  tidal  area,  depends 
the  volume  and  scouring  effect  of  the  tidal  flow  over  the  Bar,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor,  and  the  depth  of  water  upon  it. 

In  view  of  this  warning,  and  considering  that  it  is  impossible  for  engineering 
skill  to  predetermine  the  effect  of  placing  fifty,  or  more,  immense  piers,  in  a  line 
across  the  channel  of  the  Bay,  it  seems  extraordinary,  to  say  the  least,  that  re- 
spectable journals  in  San  Francisco  should  advocate  such  a  project. 

San  Francisco  cannot  afford  the  experiment.  New  York  and  Boston  cannot 
afford  it.  The  merchant  marine  of  California,  and  the  farmers  of  California,  pro- 
test against  it. 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  enlighten  the  reader  respecting  the  pecuniary  benefits, 
and  the  commercial  advantages,  which  San  Francisco  might  reasonably  expect  from 
the  construction  of  a  bridge  ;  and  we  challenge  any  engineer  to  discover  a  material 
error  in  the  following  estimates,  by  Geo.  F.  Allardt,  C.  E.,  who  furnished  them  by 
request.  Mr.  Allardt  is  recognized  by  Engineers  as  one  of  the  foremost  men  in 
the  Profession: 


Estimated  Cost  of  Bridging  the  Bay  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Alameda  Shore — Distance, 
five  miles  ^26,400  feet),  of  which  three  miles  fi 5,840  feet)  will  extend  across  ship- 
channel;  (from  18  to  do  feet  in  depth  at  low-tide);  and  two  miles  f  10,560  feet)  across 
shoal  water  on  the  Alameda  shore.  * 

First,  a  wooden  bridge  throughout :  two  miles  of  pile  trestling  in  shoal  water,  and  three 
miles  of  Howe  truss  in  deep  water,  supported  on  pile-piers,  with  spans  of  200  feet  each, 
including  three  turn-table  spans,  or  "  draws."  Bottom  of  trusses  to  be  ten  feet  above  high- 
water,  in  the  clear. 

10,560  lineal  feet  of  pile -trestling,  ©  $20 $211,200 

79  pile-piers  in  deep  water,  @  $4,000 316,000 

15,840  lineal  feet  of  Howe  truss,  @  $60 950,400 

Extra  expense  on  three  turn-table  spans 25,000 

$1,502,600 
Add  10  per  cent,  for  superintendence  and  contingencies 150,260 

Total  cost $1,652,860 

Or  $62.63  per  lineal  foot. 

Second,  the  same,  except  with  stone-piers,  across  the  deep  water,  in  place  of  pile-piers. 


32 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 


10,560  lineal  feet  of  pile-trestling,  @  $20' $211,200 

15,840  lineal  feet  of  Howe  truss,  @  §60 950,400 

80,400  cubic  yards  of  masonry  in  79  piers,  @  §40 3,216,000 

Extra  expense  on  turn-table  spans  and  piers 50,000 

$4,427,600 
Add  10  per  cent,  for  superintendence  and  contingencies. $442,760 

Total  cost ..„. _. . . .  $4,870,360 

Or  $184.48  per  lineal  foot. 

Third,  pile-trestling  for  two  miles,  as  before  ;  stone-piers  for  three  miles,  across  deep 
water,  and  iron  trusses,  in  place  of  the  Howe  truss.     Spans  200  feet. 

10,560  lineal  feet  of  pile-trestling,  @  $20 $21 1,20a 

15,840  lineal  feet  of  iron  truss,  @  $200 3, 168,00* 

80,400  cubic  yards  of  masonry  in  79  piers,  @  $40, '  3,216,000 

Extra  expense  on  turn-table  spans  and  piers 50,000 

$6,645,200 
Add  10  per  cent,  for  superintendence  and  contingencies 664,520 

Total  cost , $7,309,720 

Or  $276.88  per  lineal  foot. 

Fourth,  a  first-class  high  bridge,  with  stone-piers  and  iron  superstructure  throughout, 
placed  100  feet,  in  the  clear,  above  high-tide  in  ship-channel,  and  with  ascending  gradients 
of  50  feet  to  the  mile,  across  the  shoal  water  on  the  Alameda  shore,  and  in  Mission  Bay  at 
San  Francisco.     Spans  300  feet  each. 

160,906  cubic  yards  of  masonry  in  53  piers  in  deep  water  (3  miles) 

@  $3° ' $4,827,000 

32,600  cubic  yards  in  35  piers  on  the  gradient  on  the  Alameda 

shore  (2  miles)  @  $30 978,000 

32,600  cubic  yards  in  35  piers  on  the  gradient  on  the  San  Fran- 
cisco shore,  @  $30 978,000 

36,960  lineal  feet  (7  miles)  of  iron  superstructure  for  double  track, 

wagon-road,  and  foot-passengers,  @  $225 8,316,000 

$15,099,000 
,         Add  10  per  cent,  for  superintendence  and  contingencies 1,509,900 

Total  cost .$16,608,900 

Or  $449 .  38  per  lineal  foot. 

For  the  purpose  of  comparison,  we  quote,  below,  the  cost  of  several  long 
bridges,  the  average  of  which  is  over  $750  per  lineal  foot: 


NAME. 

LOCALITY. 

»4q  era 

r  erg; 

:    k  a 

.    su  cr 

•  2  < 

•  -    n 

I02. 

2P 
80 

IO3 

56 

3 

era 

£? 

n 

O 
0 

« s 

•    5' 

Britannia 

Menai  Straits 

1,841 
1,290 
6,570 
5,625 
5,280 

$3,009,325 

400,000 

1,815,000 

7,000,000* 

I,600,000 

$1,635 
310 

Niagara  (suspension) 

Niagara  Falls 

Missouri  River   . 

276 

1,244 

303 

East  River 

New  York  to  Brooklyn . . . 
Ohio  River.  . . 

*  Estimated. 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  33 

Even  if  it  were  permissible  to  place  a  line  of  piers  across  ship-channel  in  the 
Bay,  nothing  less  than  a  permanent  first-class  structure,  one  hundred  feet  above 
high  tide,  over  ship-channel,  would  be  allowed  ;  and  the  gradients  of  the  approaches 
should  not  exceed  fifty  feet  to  the  mile,  if  designed  for  freight  trains.  The  distance 
from  the  Alameda  shore  to  ship-channel  (two  miles)  would  accommodate  the  eastern 
approach  ;  but,  if  the  western  approach  started  on  the  same  level  as  the  eastern, 
the  westerly  end  of  the  bridge  would  be  two  miles  distant  from  the  San  Francisco 
water  front.  To  compensate  for  the  height  of  the  bridge,  five  miles  must  be  added 
to  its  length,  to  make  it  equivalent  to  a  tevel  way,  for  railroad  purposes.  (See 
note,  page  3,  "Equating  for  Grades").  If  the  reader  will  figure  the  result,  he  will 
find  that,  for  all  practical  purposes  in  railroading,  the  distance  from  Alameda,  or 
Oakland  point,  via  such  a  bridge,  to  the  water  front  of  San  Francisco,  would  be 
fourteen  miles.  Thus,  San  Francisco,  by  the  expenditure  of  over  sixteen  millions, 
could  double  the  distance  and  time  between  herself  and  Oakland. 

But  it  is  not  designed  to  build  a  first-class,  high  bridge  —  it  would  not  pay. 
Indeed,  our  introductory  remarks  are  based  upon  the  assumption  that  a  low  bridge 
is  contemplated.  We  refer  the  reader  to  the  foregoing  estimates,  if  he  desires  to 
fix  in  his  imagination  the  cost  of  the  undertaking,  and  we  shall  proceed  to  estimate 
the  benefits  that  might  accrue  from  it,  leaving  out  of  the  question  the  damages 
that  would  result  from  destroying  free  navigation  in  the  Bay,  and  the  peril  of 
shoaling  the  Bar  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor: 

First — Building  lots,  and  homestead  sites,  in  Alameda  County,  would  increase 
largely  in  value,  in  anticipation  of  an  exodus  of  families  from  San  Francisco  who 
object  to  steamboat  travel. 

Second — Considering  that  the  freight  and  passenger  trains  of  the  Central,  and 
the  Southern  Pacific,  will  soon  approach  Oakland  from  the  north ;  if  the  bridge 
started  from  Oakland  Point,  passengers  and  freight  might  be  carried  thence  to 
San  Francisco,  by  rail,  five  minutes  quicker  than  by  rail  and  boat — providing  no 
"draws"  were  open,  as  frequently  there  would  be.  But  Oakland  would  never 
consent  to  obstructing  the  Estuary  of  San  Antonio  from  free  commerce  with  the 
ocean.  Hence,  the  easterly  end  of  the  bridge,  if  constructed,  would  be  at  Alameda, 
or  at  a  point  farther  south. 

Third — Assuming  that  it  would  be  at  Alameda  point :  the  distance  from  Oakland 
point  (where  the  Oakland  and  Banta  Branch  will  terminate)  to  Alameda  point,  via 
the  most  available  crossing  of  the  Estuary,  is  five  miles.  It  follows  that  passen- 
gers might  reach  the  San  Francisco  shore  at  Mission  Bay — supposing  the  bridge 
should  terminate  there,  and  no  "open  draws"  were  encountered — almost  as  soon 
as  they  could  reach  the  hotels  by  the  Oakland  Ferry.  But  the  existence  of  the 
bridge  would  not  control,  in  the  slightest  degree,  the  movement  of  our  export 
products.  The  great  freight  route  must  intersect  the  Oakland  wharf,  as  the  map 
shows ;  and  it  is  as  reasonable  to  expect  that  grain,  for  export,  would  be  trans- 
ported from  San  Francisco  to  Oakland,  via  the  proposed  bridge,  as  to  expect  it  to 
be  moved  in  the  opposite  direction.  Mr.  Friedlander,  and  San  Francisco  exporters 
generally,  having  grain  arriving  at  the  Oakland  wharf,  would  decline  to  incur  the 
needless  risk  and  expense  of  transporting  it  from  the  Oakland  docks  to  the  San 
Francisco  docks,  to  gratify  a  sentiment.  It  may  be  added  that  the  proposed  bridge 
could  never  be  used  for  passenger  travel,  except  for  that  between  San  Francisco 
and  Alameda  counties.     The  liability  of  detention  by  "open  draws"  would  render 


34  OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 

it  impossible  for  the  railroad  companies  to  run  "through  trains,"  by  that  route, 
"on  time." 

If  the  hotels,  churches,  stores,  and  theatres  of  San  Francisco,  were  removed 
south  of  the  bridge,  it  would  compensate,  in  a  measure,  for  some  dolays ;  but,  in 
that  event,  it  would  become  necessary  to  remove  the  Golden  Gate  to  a  point  south 
of  the  bridge — otherwise,  the  rapid  increase  of  commerce  on  the  water  front  of  the 
Potrero,  and  South  San  Francisco,  would  cause  a  "draw"  to  be  kept  open  contin- 
ually. One  of  the  San  Francisco  papers  has  suggested  the  expedient  of  removing 
"the  heart  of  San  Francisco  "  as  far  south  as  the  Rolling  Mill  point,  so  that  trains 
might  be  run  into  it;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  heart  of  San  Francisco  beats 
responsive  to  the  suggestion.  Seriously,  the  whole  scheme  smacks  so  strongly  of 
outside  property  that  it  is  impossible  to  disguise  it. 

Nobody  doubts  that  San  Francisco  must  continue  to  be  the  metropolis  of  the 
Pacific  coast ;  and  the  shallow  efforts  of  a  few  speculators  to  frighten  San  Francis- 
cans into  committing  an  outrage  against  themselves,  and  their  posterity,  is  highly 
reprehensible.  Already,  more  than  one-fourth  the  population  of  the  State  is  con- 
gregated at  San  Francisco ;  and  considering  her  established  advantages,  and  the 
more  luxurious  habits  of  city  folk,  as  compared  with  those  of  country  folk,  her 
"city  trade"  may  be  estimated  at  nearly  one -half  of  the  trade  of  the  State, 
exclusive  of  the  export  trade.  Of  the  California  domestic  trade,  outside  of  the  city, 
she  commands,  and  must  ever  command,  the  lion's  share.  The  export  trade  be- 
longs, and  will  always  belong,  exclusively  to  San  Francisco,  for  she  supplies  money 
for  the  movement  of  crops,  and  has  a  deeper  interest  than  Oakland  will  ever  have 
in  the  economical  handling  of  our  export  products.  If  machine  shops  are  built  at 
Oakland,  San  Francisco  men,  with  San  Francisco  capital,  will  build  them ;  and  the 
profits  of  such  enterprises  will  return  to  the  fountain-head. 

In  short,  Oakland  is  an  invaluable  adjunct  to  the  cdmmerce  of  San  Francisco; 
and  far-seeing  San  Franciscans  are  proud,  not  jealous,  of  Oakland. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

The  University  of  California  was  created  with  the  view  of  carrying  the  public 
educational  system  of  the  State  up  to  its  highest  expression,  in  an  institution 
which  should  realize  the  broadest,  freest,  most  liberal,  and  most  advanced  ideas  of 
University  education.  It  receives  its  support  from  the  extensive  land -grants 
made  by  the  General  Government  to  the  State  of  California,  for  the  establishment 
of  Agricultural  and  Mechanic  Arts  Colleges — a  foundation  which  has  been  enlarged 
by  a  liberal  appropriation  from  the  State  Legislature.  The  University,  accord- 
ingly, is  a  State  institution,  and,  as  such,  must  be  of  equal  interest  to  the  people  of 
every  section  of  California.  Yet,  the  sphere  of  its  activity  is  not  bounded  by  the 
lines  of  our  own  State,  for  its  register  shows  that  it  already  draws  from  every  State 
and  Territory  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  from  Mexico,  from  South  America,  and  from 
the  islands  of  the  sea — a  fact  which  strikingly  illustrates  the  scope  of  the  benefits 
diffused  by  our  young  but  progressive  University. 

The  Act  creating  the  University  of  California  was  passed  by  the  State  Legis- 
lature at  the  session  of  1867-8.     It  placed  the  supreme  control  of  the  institution 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  35 

in  a  Board  of  Regents  which  is,  at  present,  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen 
of  well-known  culture,  public  spirit,  and  business  ability : 

EX  -OFFICIO   REGENTS. 

His  Excellency  Henry  H.  Haight,  Governor. 

His  Honor  William  Holden,  Lieutenant-Governor. 

Hon.  George  H.  Rogers,  Speaker  of  the  Assembly. 

Hon.  O.  P.  Fitzgerald,  D.D.,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction: 

Hon.  Charles  F.  Reed,  President  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society. 

A.  S.  Hallidie,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Mechanics'  Institute  of  San  Francisco. 

APPOINTED   REGENTS. 

John  T.  Doyle,  Esq.,  Hon.  Lawrence  Archer, 

Hon.  Richard  P.  Hammond,  Hon.  William  Watt, 

Hon.  John  W.  Dwinelle,  Hon.  Samuel  B.  McKee, 

Rev.  Horatio  Stebbins,  D.D.,  Hon.  Samuel  Merritt,  M.D. 

HONORARY   REGENTS.* 

Hon.  Edward  Tompkins,  A.  J.  Bowie,  M.D., 

J.  Mora  Moss,  Esq.,  William  C.  Ralston,  Esq., 

S.  F.  Butterworth,  Esq.,  Hon.  John  B.  Felton, 

Hon.  John  S.  Hager,  Louis  Sachs,  Esq. 

OFFICERS   OF  THE  BOARD   OF  REGENTS. 

His  Excellency  H.  H.  Haight,  President. 
Andrew  J.  Moulder,  Esq.,  Secretary. 
William  C.  Ralston,  Esq.,  Treasurer. 

The  University  went  into  operation  September  23d,  1869,  with  Professors 
John  and  Joseph  LeConte,  Fisher,  Swinton,  Carr,  Kellogg,  Welcker,  Pioda,  Santi, 
and  0<nlby,  as  the  faculty.  Professor  John  LeConte  was  appointed  Acting- 
President  by  the  Regents,  and  he  continued  in  this*  position  till  the  close  of  the 
scholastic  year  ending  with  July,  1870.  The  second  year  of  the  University  began 
September  23d,  1870.  In  the  intervening  vacation,  the  Board  of  Regents  had 
elected  to  the  Presidency,  Professor  Henry  Durant.  The  Register  gives  the 
following  names,  as  composing  the  Faculty  and  Officers  of  the  University : 

Henry  Durant,  A.M.,  President,  and  Professor  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy. 
Stephen  J.  Field,  LL.D.,  Non-resident  Professor  of  Law. 

John  LeConte,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Physics,  Industrial  Mechanics,  and  Physiology. 
Joseph  LeConte,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Geology,  Natural  History,  and  Botany. 
Martin  Kellogg,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages. 
General  W.  T.  Welcker,  Professor  of  Mathematics. 
Paul  Pioda,  Professor  of  Modern  Languages. 

Ezra   S.  Carr,   M.D.,  Professor  of  Agriculture,  Chemistry,  Agricultural  and 
Applied  Chemistry,  and  Horticulture. 

*The  term  "Honorary,"  applied  to  these  Regents,  indicates  only  the  mode  of  their  election,  which  is 
made  by  the  Ex-officio  and  Appointed  Regents.  Every  Regent,  however  appointed,  is  a  voting,  legislative, 
and  executive  member  of  the  Board. 


36  OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY. 

William  Swinton,  A.M.,  Professor  of  the  English  Language  and  Literature, 
Rhetoric,  Logic,  and  History. 

Thomas  Bennett,  M.D.,  Professor  of  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  Medicine. 

James  Blake,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Midwifery. 

J.  C.  Shorb,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Clinical  Medicine. 

J.  D.  B.  Stillman,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica. 

C.  F.  Buckley,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Anatomy. 

George  Davidson,  A.M.,  (Assistant  U.  S.  Coast  Survey),  Non-resident  Profes- 
sor of  Astronomy  and  Geodesy. 

Colonel  Frank  Soule,  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

Robert  E.  Ogilby,  Instructor  in  Drawing. 

George  Tait,  A.M.,  Assistant  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages. 

Professor  William  Swinton,  Librarian. 

It  is  believed  that  the  history  of  education  in  the  United  States  presents  a  no 
more  signal  success,  in  the  founding  of  a  high  institution  of  learning,  than  that 
which  has  attended  the  University  of  California.  Opening  with  about  forty 
students  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  year,  it  has  now  on  its  catalogue  the  names 
of  seven  hundred  and  ninety  members  of  the  several  Colleges  and  of  the  Prepara- 
tory Department. 

The  University  consists  of  five  distinct  and  independent  Colleges,  viz. :  four 
Colleges  of  Arts,  and  one  College  of  Letters,  as  follows : 

i.  A  State  College  of  Agriculture,  "j 

2.  A  State  College  of  Mechanic  Arts,  I      CoUe(re<;  of  Art, 

3.  A  State  College  of  Mines,  [      L0UeSes  °J  *rts- 

4.  A  State  College  of  Civil  Engineering.  J 

5.  A  State  College  of  Letters. 

The  full  course  of  instruction  in  each  College  embraces  all  appropriate  studies, 
and  continues  for  at  least  four  years.  Each  College  confers  a  proper  degree,  at 
the  end  of  the  course,  upon  such  students  as  are  found,  upon  examination,  to  be 
proficient  therein. 

Partial  courses  are  organized  in  each  of  the  Colleges  for  students  "who  may 
not  desire  to  pursue  a  full  course  therein." 

Besides  the  students  pursuing  the  regular  courses,  any  resident  of  California, 
of  approved  moral  character,  has  the  right  to  enter  himself  in  the  University  as  a 
student  at  large,  and  receive  tuition  in  any  branch  or  branches  of  instruction,  at 
the  time  when  the  same  are  given  in  the  regular  course,  provided  his  preparatory 
studies  have  been  such  as  to  qualify  him  to  pursue  the  selected  branches ;  and 
provided,  further,  he  selects  a  sufficient  number  of  branches  —  the  number  being 
designated  by  the  Faculty.  s 

Measures  have  been  taken  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  Act  creating  the 
University,  in  respect  to  military  instruction  and  discipline.  Acting  under  direc- 
tions from  the  Board  of  Regents,  Professor  Welcker  and  Assistant  Professor 
Soule,  graduates  of  the  West  Point  Academy,  have  organized  the  battalion  of  the 
University  Cadets.  All  able-bodied  male  students  of  the  University  are  required 
to  attend  the  military  exercises.  The  utility  of  such  instruction  and  discipline  is 
generally  conceded. 

The  University  already  possesses  excellent  apparatus,  recently  procured  from 
Europe,  and  valued  at  over  $30,000,  for  the  use  of  the  Physical,  Chemical,  and 


OAKLAND   AND    VICINITY.  37 

other  Scientific  Departments.  There  is  also  a  Cabinet,  rich  in  specimens  collected 
from  various  parts  of  the  State,  and  the  Legislature  has  specially  provided  that  the 
ample  collections  of  the  State  Geological  Survey  shall  be  devoted  to  the  uses  of 
the  University. 

By  an  Act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  at  its  last  session,  five  Scholarships  were 
established,  each  of  the  value  of  three  hundred  dollars  a  year,  for  four  years,  to  be 
competed  for  by  candidates  for  the  Fourth  Class.  It  is  expected  and  hoped  that 
the  number  of  scholarships  will  be  increased  by  private  liberality. 

From  the  foregoing  statements  which  we  compile  from  the  "Register,"  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  University  of  California,  in  the  second  year  of  its  existence, 
already  offers  ample  facilities  for  a  thorough  education.  It  has  a  large  and  com- 
petent faculty  of  instruction,  and  costly  and  complete  apparatus.  It  opens  its 
doors,  without  charge,  to  all  of  both  sexes  who  are  qualified  to  profit  by  its 
advantages.  The  enlightened  founders  of  the  University  of  California  laid  its 
basis  upon  live  and  modern  ideas  of  education.  It  is  wholly  free  from  ancient 
scholastic  precedents  and  routine.  It  recognizes  the  equal  dignity  and  worth  of  all 
knowledges  and  arts,  and  hospitably  affords  opportunities  to  students  desirous  of 
pursuing  any  specialty.  Those  who  are  enrolled  as  "students  at  large"  can  select 
their  own  studies,  and  attend  the  exercises  of  any  of  the  classes.  There  are  still 
shorter  courses  for  those  who  can  stay  but  a  single  term,  or  attend  but  a  single 
course  of  lectures.  If  any  one  wishes  to  study  some  practical  branch  of  learning 
— for  example,  metallurgy  or  agricultural  chemistry  —  he  will  find  here  every 
facility  for  its  prosecution.  In  fine,  it  is  a  University  in  the  full  scope  and  mean- 
ing of  the  term. 

The  University,  while  awaiting  the  erection  of  college  edifices  upon  its  exten- 
sive and  beautiful  domain  at  Berkeley,  (near  Oakland),  is  occupying  the  old  College 
of  California  building,  in  this  city,  where  it  is  probable  the  institution  will  remain 
for  a  considerable  time  to  come.  The  striking  exhibit  elsewhere  made  of  the 
healthfulness  of  Oakland,  shows  that  in  this  respect  it  could  not  have  been  more 
fortunately  located. 

PREPARATORY  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY. 

Our  sketch  of  the  University  would  be  far  from  complete,  did  we  fail  to  notice 
the  recently  created  training-school,  or  "Preparatory  Department." 

The  necessity  of  some  training-school  which  should  serve  as  a  link  between 
the  public-school  system  and  the  University,  was  felt  soon  after  the  latter  went 
into  operation.  It  was  at  first  sought  to  supply  this  link  by  the  organization  of  a 
Fifth  Class.  This  was  begun  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  scholastic  year,  in 
September,  1870.  The  experiment  was  a  complete  success — very  large  numbers  of 
pupils  of  both  sexes  having  joined  the  "  Fifth  Class."  Indeed,  so  unexpected  was 
the  increase  of  the  class,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  purchase  the  Brayton 
school  property,  in  order  to  afford  accommodations  for  the  students  presenting 
themselves.  In  January,  1871,  this  class,  while  still  retaining  its  distinctive  name, 
was  greatly  enlarged  in  its  scope  by  dividing  it  into  various  grades :  thus  establish- 
ing a  real  training-school  or  preparatory  department.  This  department  of  the 
institution  was  put  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  George  Tait,  aided  by  an  adequate 
corps  of  excellent  teachers.  We  believe  the  department  now  numbers  (day-schol- 
ars and  boarders)  upward  of  two  hundred.  It  shows  all  the  signs  of  enlarging  and 
lasting  usefulness.  292f  H¥3 


38  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

PRIVATE  EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS. 

Pacific  Theological  Seminary.  —  The  seminary  is  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Congregational  Church.  It  has  recently  purchased  the  property  of  the  Female 
College  of  the  Pacific,  on  Academy  Hill,  and  the  regular  exercises  were  commenced 
in  June,  1871.  Revs.  George  Mooar,  D.D.,  and  J.  A.  Benton,  D.D.,  are  Profess- 
ors. There  is  a  primary  department,  termed  the  Golden  Gate  Academy,  and  the 
number  of  students  in  both  is  about  twenty-five. 

Mills  Seminary. — Located  near  Fruit  Vale,  about  four  miles  from  Oakland. 
The  Mills  Seminary  enjoys  a  quiet  seclusion,  and  is  yet  in  almost  hourly  commu- 
nication with  the  metropolis.  Rev.  C.  T.  Mills  is  Principal,  and  Rev.  Eli  Corwin 
is  his  associate.  There  are  two  hundred  young  lady-students,  and  in  all  its  depart- 
ments the  seminary  is  complete,  and  to  it  is  conceded  the  position  of  the  leading 
institution  for  ^he  education  of  girls  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  is  by  many  deemed 
superior  to  any  institution  in  the  Eastern  States. 

Oakland  Seminary  and  Female  College  of  the  Pacific.  —  This  in- 
stitution has  been  formed  by  the  consolidation  of  the  Female  College  of  the  Pacific, 
and  Mrs.  Blake's  Oakland  Seminary;  and  the  seminary  buildings,  in  Oakland, 
on  Washington  Street,  between  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Streets,  are  occupied.  The 
Rev.  E.  B.  Walsworth  is  Principal,  and  he  has  called  to  his  assistance  an  efficient 
corps  of  teachers.     There  are  one  hundred  scholars. 

Oakland  Military  Academy.  —  This  military  institution,  opened  January 
9th,  1865,  is  the  first  of  the  kind  that  has  been  established  on  this  coast.  Rev.  D. 
McClure  is  the  proprietor  and  Principal.  The  academic  staff  is  composed  of  nine 
experienced  teachers.  The  buildings  are  situated  on  a  rise  of  ground,  known  as 
Academy  Hill,  about  a  mile  from  the  Broadway  Station,  and  may  be  reached  by 
the  Telegraph  Avenue  cars.  In  the  academic  department,  well-defined  and  exten- 
sive courses  of  study  are  pursued  in  the  English  branches,  ancient  and  modern 
languages,  natural  science,  mathematics,  and  commercial  knowledge,,  such  as  will 
prepare  students  for  college  or  business.  The  institution  is  also  organized  as  a 
military  post,  and  it  is  obligatory  upon  every  student  to  attend  the  daily  military 
drill,  and  perform  the  duties  of  a  cadet,  which  do  not  interfere  with  hours  of  study. 

Linden  Lane  Boarding  School. — This  school  is  located  on  Linden  Lane, 
near  Telegraph  Avenue,  about  two  miles  from  Broadway  Station.  The  number  of 
scholars  is  limited  to  sixteen,  and  the  course  of  study  is  designed  to  fit  boys  to 
enter  the  university  or  any  college.  D.  C.  Stone,  A.M.,  is  proprietor  and  Princi- 
pal of  the  school. 

Convent  of  our  Lady  of  the  Sacred  Heart. — This  is  a  girls'  day  and 
boarding-school,  and  is  located  on  Webster  Street,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Merritt. 
It  was  dedicated  in  the  summer  of  1868.  The  classes  are  taught  by  "Sisters  of 
the  Holy  Names  of  Jesus  and  Mary,"  who  came  from  Canada.  The  school  con- 
tains sixty-one  boarding-scholars  and  fifty-two  day-scholars,  and  is  in  charge  of  St. 
Mary's  Catholic  Church,  having  been  built  through  the  efforts  of  Rev.  Father 
King. 

Madame  Boullet's  School.  —  Among  the  private  schools  of  Oakland  is  a 
modest  little  establishment,  at  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Fifth  Streets,  which  has 
been  conducted  for  many  years  by  Madame  and  Mademoiselle  Boullet  — Parisian 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  39 

ladies.  The  boarders  are  limited  to  ten  or  twelve  little  girls,  and  the  number  of 
day-scholars  is  also  limited.  Notwithstanding  the  unpretending  character  of  the 
school,  it  has  long  been  justly  celebrated  for  the  parental  care  exercised  over  the 
pupils,  and  the  remarkable  proficiency  they  acquire  in  the  French  language. 

St.  Joseph's  Academy. — This  school  is  for  boys,  and  is  conducted  by  the 
Christian  Brothers.  It  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Jackson  and  Fifth  Streets. 
Brother  Gustavus  is  Principal,  and  the  assistants  are  Brothers  Alexander,  Baptiste, 
and  Thomas.  It  was  opened  July  5th,  1870,  with  forty-five  pupils,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  December  term,  1870,  had  eighty-five  scholars  in  attendance. 

J.  C.  Hyde's  Day  and  Boarding-School. — This  school  is  located  on  the 
corner  of  Harrison  and  Sixth  Streets,  and  has  an  attendance  of  about  twenty  schol- 
ars, all  boys. 

The  Sisters'  School.  —  This  school  is  located  on  Eighth  Street,  between 
Grove  and  Jefferson,  and  is  taught  by  Sisters  Mary  Augustine  and  Mary  Pres- 
celle,  and  has  an  attendance  of  about  seventy-five  day-scholars,  all  of  them  girls. 

Mrs.  Brown's  and  Miss  Daniels'  Day-School. — This  school  is  located 
on  Eleventh  Street,  between  Alice  and  Harrison  Streets. 

French  and  English  School.  —  Madame  D'Hierry's  French  and  English 
day-school  is  on  Seventh  Street,  between  Grove  and  Castro. 

Alameda  Academy.  —  This  institution  was  opened  January  2d,  1871.  Prof. 
J.  T.  Doyen  is  Principal. 

Miss  Barnes'  School. — Miss  Mary  Barnes  has  a  private  day-school,  on  the 
corner  of  Sixth  and  Clay  Streets,  with  an  attendance  of  fifty  pupils. 

Mrs.  Fogg's  School. — Mrs.  George  H.  Fogg's  day-school,  corner  of  Frank- 
lin and  Second  Streets,  has  an  attendance  of  twelve  scholars. 

Brooklyn  Private  School. — Mrs.  True  has  a  flourishing  private  school  in 
Brooklyn,  with  an  attendance  of  twenty-six  girls  and  six  boys. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


There  are  5,436  children  in  Alameda  County  between  the  ages  of  five  and  fif- 
teen years,  3,269  of  whom  are  enrolled  as  attendants  at  the  public  schools.  There 
are  1,268  pupils  in  the  public  schools  of  Oakland.  There  are  in  the  county,  out- 
side of  Oakland,  66  schools,  giving  employment  to  51  teachers.  In  Oakland, 
there  are  six  public  school  buildings,  giving  employment  to  31  regular  and  four 
special  teachers.  The  total  value  of  public  school  property  in  the  city  is  $129,000. 
The  schools  now  open  are  as  follows : 

High  School. — Corner  of  Market  and  West  Twelfth  Streets.  Cost  of  prem- 
ises, $37,376  22.  Principal,  J.  B.  McChesney.  Number  of  teachers,  3;  number 
of  scholars,  65. 

Lafayette  Grammar  School.  —  Location  in  High  School  building.  Prin- 
cipal, J.  B.  McChesney.     Number  of  teachers,  8;  number  of  scholars,  321. 

Prescott  Grammar  School.  —  Second  Street  (West  Oakland).  Cost  of 
building,  $10,000.  Principal,  A.  W.  Brodt.  Number  of  teachers,  3;  number  of 
scholars,  55. 


46  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

Lafayette  Primary.  —  Corner  of  Twelfth  and  Jefferson  Streets.  Cost  of 
building,  $17,000.  Principal,  Mrs.  M.  W.  Phelps.  Number  of  teachers,  8 ;  num- 
ber of  scholars,  340. 

Primary  No.  2.  —  Corner  of  Alice  and  Sixth  Streets.  Cost  of  building, 
$1,200.  Principal,  Miss  F.  Brigham.  Number  of  teachers,  3;  number  of  schol- 
ars, 125. 

Primary  No.  3.  —  Corner  of  Grove  and  Fourth  Streets.  Cost  of  building, 
$1,200.  Principal,  Miss  Aldrich.  Number  of  teachers,  4;  number  of  scholars, 
201. 

In  addition  to  these,  there  is  an  evening  school,  taught  by  F.  M.  Campbell, 
City  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  a  French  and  a  German  class,  which  would 
swell  the  number  of  pupils  to  1,409,  and  the  number  of  teachers  to  35. 


CHURCHES. 

First  Congregational. — Broadway,  east  side,  between  Tenth  and  Eleventh 
Streets.  Organized  December  9th,  i860.  Temporary  Pastor — George  Mooar, 
D.  D.  Deacons  —  T.  B.  Bigelow,  E.  P.  Flint,  R.  E.  Cole,  and  T.  L.  Walker. 
Trustees— R.  E.  Cole,  E.  P.  Flint,  E.  P.  Sanford,  Israel  W.  Knox,  Wm.  K.  Row- 
ell,  and  H.  A.  Palmer. 

Second  Congregational.  —  Oakland  Point.  Organized  May  31st,  1868. 
Pastor — Rev.  S.  D.  Gray.  Trustees — Jas.  A.  Folger,  H.  G.  McLean,  H.  C.  Em- 
mons, E.  E.  Walcott,  and  L.  P.  Collins. 

First  Presbyterian. — South-east  corner  of  Broadway  and  Thirteenth  Streets. 
Organized  in  1852.  Pastor — D.  W.  Poor,  D.D.  Elders  —  Samuel  Percy,  Elijah 
Bigelow,  J.  J.  Gardiner,  Wm.  C.  Dodge,  and  G.  W.  Armes.  Trustees  —  E.  C. 
Sessions,  Wm.  C.  Dodge,  Wm.  H.  Miller,  J.  J.  Gardiner,  Elijah  Bigelow,  J.  M. 
Selfridge,  and  J.  Shanklin. 

Independent  Presbyterian.  —  South-east  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Twelfth 
Streets.  Organized  February  28th,  1869.  Pastor — Rev.  L.  Hamilton.  Trustees 
—  George  C.  Potter  (Chairman),  Henry  Durant,  David  McClure,  Charles  Webb 
Howard,  J.  P.  Moore,  John  R.  Glascock,  J.  S.  Emery,  N.  W.  Spaulding,  and  Hi- 
ram Tubbs.  Elders  —  Henry  Durant  and  David  McClure.  Treasurer  —  William 
B.  Hardy. 

Mission  Congregational.  —  Second  Street,  between  Broadway  and  Wash- 
ington. Organized  in  the  summer  of  1868,  under  the  control  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church. 

First  Baptist. — Corner  of  Brush  and  Fourteenth  Streets.  Organized  in  1854. 
No  permanent  Pastor,  at  present.  Deacons  —  William  Watts  and  G.  W.  Dam. 
Trustees  — A.  L.  Warner,  G.  W.  Dam,  J.  F.  Havens,  William  Watts,  and  A.  W. 
Brodt.     Church  Clerk,  A.  W.  Brodt;  Treasurer,  B.  F.  Pendleton. 

St.  John's  Episcopal.  — Corner  of  Grove  and  Seventh  Streets.  Organized 
June,  1852.  Rector — Rev.  Benjamin  Akerly.  Vestrymen — Rev.  Benjamin  Aker- 
ly  (President),  Gen.  R.  W.  Kirkham  (Senior  Warden),  Samuel  Brockhurst  (Junior 
Warden),  Charles  D.  Haven  (Secretary  and  Treasurer),  James  De  Fremery,  J.  N. 
Olney,  and  R.  H.  Bennett. 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  41 

St.  Paul's  Episcopal.  — South-west  corner  of  Webster  and  Twelfth  Streets. 
Organized  1871.  Rector— Rev.  C.  W.  Turner.  Vestrymen— John  A.  Stanley, 
A.  I.  Gladding,  W.  C.  Parker,  T.  J.  Hyde,  Watson  Webb,  J.  B.  Harmon,  R.  C. 
Alden,  Dr.  Babcock.  Senior  Warden  — A.  I.  Gladding.  Junior  Warden  — Wat- 
son Webb.  • 

St.  Mary's  Roman  Catholic  — Seventh  Street,  between  Grove  and  Jeffer- 
son.    Pastor — Rev.  Michael  King.     Assistants — Fathers  Byrne  and  Starra. 

Methodist  Episcopal.— South-west  corner  of  Washington  and  Ninth  Streets. 
Pastor— Rev.  T.  S.  Dunn.  Trustees— M.  T.  Holcomb,  J.  Stratton,  J.  W.  Carrick, 
James  C.  Stratton,  and  C.  H.  Bradley. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  VIEW  CEMETERY. 

Several  years  ago,  leading  citizens  of  Oakland,  Brooklyn,  and  Alameda  Town- 
ships, secured  a  suitable  location  as  a  burial  place  for  the  dead.  It  comprises 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  undulating  ground  at  the  foot-hills,  about  two  miles 
eastwardly  from  Oakland.  The  Mountain  View  Cemetery  Association  was  organ- 
ized, and,  under  the  operation  of  the  State  law,  the  ground  has  been  dedicated 
forever  to  the  sacred  purposes  for  which  it  was  obtained.  Mr.  Fred.  Law  Olm- 
stead,  who  laid  out  Central  Park,  in  New  York  City,  was  employed  to  survey  the 
ground  and  lay  out  a  plan  for  the  cemetery.  The  plan  presented  by  him  was 
adopted.  Improvements  of  a  high  order  have  already  been  made  ;  and  the  officers 
of  the  Association  comprise  gentlemen  whose  reputation  affords  a  guarantee  that 
its  affairs  will  be  attended  to  with  a  view  of  making  the  cemetery  all  that  could  be 
desired. 


INSTITUTION  FOR  THE  DEAF  AND  DUMB,  AND  BLIND. 

The  State  Asylum  for  the  education  of  the  deaf  and  dumb,  and  the  blind,  is 
located  about  four  miles  north  of  Oakland,  on  grounds  adjoining  those  of  the  Uni- 
versity. It  is  one  of  the  most  beneficent  of  our  State  institutions,  and  is  exceed- 
ingly interesting  to  visitors  who  care  to  see  how  novel  and  ingenious  modes  of 
instruction,  and  patient  endeavors,  are  made  to  overcome  the  greatest  obstacles  to 
mental  development.  The  building,  a  massive  stone  edifice,  is  considered  by  many 
to  be  the  finest  piece  of  architecture  in  the  State,  and  is  supplied  with  all  modern 
improvements  for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  its  inmates,  and  with  all  the  pe- 
culiar apparatus  necessary  for  their  instruction.  The  total  cost  of  buildings, 
grounds,  etc.,  has  been  about  $200,000  —  an  expenditure  which  indicates  the  lib- 
erality and  thoughtfulness  of  our  people. 

The  present  number  of  pupils  is  eighty-five.  Fifty- nine  are  deaf  and  dumb, 
and  twenty- six  are  blind.  The  course  of  study  embraces  most  of  the  branches 
usually  taught  in  our  higher  academies.  Facilities  are  also  afforded  for  the  learning 
of  trades.  The  benefits  of  the  institution,  including  board,  tuition,  and  medical  at- 
tendance, are  free  to  all  deaf  and  dumb  or  blind  persons,  between  the  ages  of  six 
and  twenty-one  years,  who  may  be  residents  of  the  State. 

The  Board  of  Directors  consists  of  J.  Mora  Moss,  President ;  Chas.  J.  Bren- 
ham,  Col.  John  C.  Hayes,  I.  E.  Nicholson,  M.D.,  and  Col.  Harry  Linden.     The 


42  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

corps  of  instructors  in  the  deaf-mute  department  comprises  Amasa  Pratt,  H.  B. 
Crandall,  and  Henry  Frank.  In  the  blind  department,  C.  T.  Wilkinson  and  M. 
B.  Clark.  The  Principal  is  Warring  Wilkinson,  to  whom  all  letters  of  inquiry, 
etc.,  should  be  addressed. 


SOCIETIES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

MASONIC. 

Live-Oak  Lodge  No.  6i,  F.  and  A.  M. — Instituted  May  4th,  1855.  Officers — 
T.  P.  Wales,  W.  M. ;  Wm.  H.  Irwin,  S.  W. ;  Henry  F.  Evers,  J.  W. ;  A.  J.  Ba- 
ber,  S.  D. ;  George  E.^Carleton,  J.  D. ;  Rev.  Benjamin  Akerly,  Chaplain;  J.  E. 
Whitcher,  Treasurer;  James  Lentell,  Secretary;  F.  Chappellet  and  Franklin  War- 
ner, Stewards ;  S.  Hirshberg,  Tyler. 

Oakland  Lodge  No.  188,  F.  and  A.  M.  —  Instituted  November  4th,  1868. 
Officers— E.  H.  Pardee,  W.  M. ;  W.  J.  Gurnett,  S.  W. ;  W.  S.  Snook,  J.  W. ;  T. 
W.  Bailey,  Secretary;  Myron  T.  Dusenbury,  Treasurer. 

Oakland  Chapter  No.  26,  R.  A.  M. — Instituted  May  5th,  i860.  Officers — 
Benjamin  Akerly,  H.  P. ;  George  M.  Blake,  K. ;  T.  P.  Wales,  S. ;  J.  M.  Miner, 
C.  H.;  S.  Nolan,  P.  S. ;  Henry  F.  Evers,  R.  A.  C. ;  Wm.  H.  Irwin,  M.  3d  V.; 
Ernst  Janssen,  M.  2d  V.;  Wm.  D.  Harwood,  M.  1st  V.;  J.  E.  Whitcher,  Treas- 
urer; S.  Hirshberg,  Secretary;  H.  E.  Hitchcock,  Guardian. 

Alameda  Chapter  No.  36,  R.  A.  M.  —  Instituted  November  nth,  1868. 
Officers— N..W.  Spaulding,  H.  P.;  Walter  Van  Dyke,  K. ;  E.  H.  Pardee,  S. ;  C. 
C.  Knowles,  C.  H. ;  W.  J.  Gurnett,  P.  S. 

INDEPENDENT   ORDER   OF  ODD   FELLOWS. 

Oakland  Lodge  No.  118. — Instituted  July  3d,  1865.  Officers — S.  P.  Knight, 
N.  G. ;  R.  Dalziel,  V.  G. ;  John  Demott,  R.  S. ;  A.  B.  Brower,  P.  S. ;  Chas.  Bar- 
low, T. ;  Wm.  L.  McKay,  Peter  Baker,  and  S.  K.  Hassinger,  Trustees. 

University  Lodge  No.  144. — Instituted  June  20th,  1868.  Officers — M.  S. 
Hurd,  N.  G. ;  T.  A.  Bell,  V.  G. ;  C.  J.  Robinson,  R.  S. ;  George  E.  Farwell,  P.  S.; 
J.  V.  B.  Goodrich,  T. 

Alameda  Degree  Lodge  No.  5.  —  Instituted  February  13th,  1869.  Offi- 
cers— W.  J.  Gurnett,  N.  G.;  J.  Barnett,  V.  G. ;  S.  H.  Goddard,  Secretary;  Geo. 
H.  Fogg,  Treasurer. 

Golden  Rule  Encampment  No.  34.  —  Officers — J.  Ingols,  C.  P.;  S.  K. 
Hassinger,  H.  P. ;  R.  Dalziel,  S.  W. ;  B.  Van  Vrankin,  J.  W. ;  C.  H.  Townsend, 
Secretary;  A.  B.  Brower,  Treasurer;  J.  E.  Marchand,  J.  Lufkin,  and  B.  C. 
Austin,  Trustees. 

Odd  Fellows'  Hall  Association.  —  Incorporated  June,  1869.  Location 
of  building,  north-west  corner  of  Franklin  and  Eleventh  Streets.  Capital  stock, 
$16,000.  Directors — J.  E.  Marchand,  President;  T.  J.  Murphy,  Vice-President; 
W.  J.  Gurnett,  Secretary;  J.  L.  Browne,  Treasurer;  W.  L.  McKay,  Peter  Baker, 
and  O.  H.  Burnham. 

Odd  Fellows'  Library  Association.  —  Organized  August  12th,  1867. 
Number  of  volumes,  2,500,  free  to  members  of  contributing  Lodges,  of  which 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  43 

there  are  two — Oakland  Lodge  No.  118,  and  University  Lodge  No.  144.  Trus- 
tees— From  Oakland  Lodge,  S.  K.  Hassinger  and  W.  Clayton ;  from  University 
Lodge,  F.  L.  Taylor,  C.  J.  Robinson,  and  B.  C.  Austin.  Officers — C.  J.  Robin- 
son, President;  S.  K.  Hassinger,  Vice-President;  B.  C.  Austin,  Recording  Sec- 
retary; F.  L.  Taylor,  Corresponding  Secretary;  W.  Clayton,  Treasurer;  A.  B. 
Brower,  Librarian. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Alameda  Stamm  No.  113,  I.  O.  R.  M.  —  Organized  1867.  Officers — W. 
Jordan,  O.  Ch. ;  Henry  Kornahrens,  U.  Ch. ;  P.  Ferman,  R.  S.;  A.  Koop,  Treas- 
urer; A.  Eisenbach,  F.  Secretary. 

Cherokee  Tribe  No.  127,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. — Organized 
1869.  Officers— H.  Nagle,  S. ;  A.  T.  Potter,  S.  S. ;  Win.  Ballantyne,  G.  S. ;  W. 
T.  Myles,  K.  of  V. ;  J.  C.  Plunket,  C.  of  R. 

Athens  Lodge,  I.  O.  G.  T.— Organized  1867.  Officers— G.  M.  Blake,  W. 
C.  T.;  S.  Campbell,  P.  W.  C.  T.;  Miss  Irwin,  W.  V.  T. ;  T.  Bell,  W.  S.;  A.  B. 
Brower,  W.  F.  S. 

Turn  Verein. — Organized  1866.  Officers — D.Vogt,  President;  Wm.  Hum- 
meltenberg,  Vice-President;  Henry  Sohst,  First  Secretary;  George  Bundat, 
Second  Secretary;  H.  Heyer,  Treasurer;  Wm.  Koch,  Librarian;  G.  Kraft.  First 
Leader;  J.  Nitman,  Second  Leader. 

Oakland  Benevolent  Society.  —  Organized  1869.  Officers  —  Dr.  R.  E. 
Cole,  President;  F.  S.  Page,  Secretary;  Dr.  B.  F.  Pendleton,  Treasurer;  I.  W. 
Knox,  Rev.  J.  E.  Benton,  and  G.  W.  Armes,  Trustees. 

Knights  of  Pythias.  —  Organized  1870.  Officers — R.  Swarbrick,  V.  P.; 
Charles  A.  Perkins,  W.  C. ;  D.  B.  Bankhead,  V.  C. ;  Wm.  Parish,  G. ;  Samuel 
Bailey,  R.  S. ;  Charles  Parry,  F.  S. ;  F.  W.  Butler,  B. ;  Wm.  Myles,  I.  G. ;  E.  G. 
Jones,  O.  G. 

Oakland  Hebrew  Benevolent  Society.  —  Organized  1862.  Officers  — 
Jacob  Letter,  President;  Henry  Ash,  Vice-President;  S.  Beal,  Treasurer;  S. 
Hirshberg,  Secretary;  N.  Rosenberg,  J.  Alexander,  L.  Greenbaum,  Trustees. 

St.  Joseph's  Benevolent  Society.  —  Organized  1867.  Officers  —  John 
Kearney,  President;  P.  R.  Sheehan,  Vice-President;  John  Carry,  Secretary; 
Patrick  Scully,  Treasurer;  Thomas  Dagnan,  Clerk;  Dr.  S.  Belden,  Physician. 

Ancient  Sons  of  Hibernia. —  Organized  July  7th,  1870.  Officers  —  James 
McGuire,  President;  J.  O'Connell,  Vice-P*esident;  S.  D.  Cronin,  Corresponding 
Secretary;  John  Teague,  Financial  Secretary;  E.  Fitzgerald,  Treasurer.  The 
Society  numbers  one  hundred  members. 


ALAMEDA  COUNTY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

Organized  October  25,  1869.  Incorporated  January  9,  1871.  List  of  members 
—Clinton  Cushing,  M.D.,  President;  E.  Trenor,  M.D.,  Vice-President;  N.  E. 
Sherman,  M.D.,  Treasurer;  John  C.  Van  Wyck,  M.D.,  Librarian;  II.  P.  Bab- 
cock,  M.D.,  Secretary;  T.  H.  Pinkerton,  M.D.,  Stillman  Holmes,  M.D.,  Joseph 
Leconte,  M.D.,  John  Leconte,  M.D.,  Ezra  S.  Carr,  M.D.,  R.  Beverly  Cole,  M.D., 
Thomas  C.  Hanson,  M.D.,  Wm.  Bamford,  M.D.,  Wm.  Bolton,  M.D.,  John  Win 
Zandt,  M.D.,  W.  R.  Fox,  M.D.,  C.  S.  Coleman,  M.D. 


44  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

MILITARY  COMPANIES. 

Oakland  Guard.  — Organized  in  1861.  Officers  —  Alfred  W.  Burrell,  Cap- 
tain; John  C.  Orr,  First  Lieutenant;  E.  R.  Turner,  Second  Lieutenant;  H.  Ma- 
loon,  Orderly  Sergeant. 

Live- Oak  Zouaves.  — Organized  in  1870.  Officers  —  E.  J.  Kelley,  Captain; 
Thomas  Treanor,  First  Lieutenant;  John  F.  Teague,  Second  Lieutenant;  James 
Marchand,  Orderly  Sergeant. 

Oakland  Grenadiers.  —  Organized  in  1870.  Officers  — J.  Callaghan,  Cap- 
tain; A.  Herrin,  First  Lieutenant;  S.  Cronin,  Second  Lieutenant. 


OAKLAND  BANK  OF  SAVINGS. 

Organized  August  27,  1867.  Capital  stock,  $150,000.  Capital  increased  March 
30,  1869,  to  $300,000;  increased  May  9,  1871,  to  $1,000,000. 

Officers — P.  S.  Wilcox,  President;  J.  L.  Browne,  Cashier. 

Board  of  Directors — P.  S.  Wilcox,  E.  M.  Hall,  Samuel  Merritt,  T.  B. 
Bigelow,  Walter  Blair. 

The  following  is  from  the  report  of  July  1,  1871 : 

Stock  and  reserve  fund §141,974  21 

Due  Depositors  .    246,098  01 

Due  Dividend  No.  8 22,414  25 

$410,486  47 

Loans  and  bonds $340,645  48 

Office  Furniture 2,470  78 

Stamps  and  currency 696  00 

Cash  in  vault,  San  Francisco,  and  New  York 66,674  21, 

$410,486  47 


UNION  SAVINGS  BANK. 

Incorporated  July  1,  1869,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $300,000,  which  was  increased 
July  1,  1870,  to  $500,000. 

Officers — A.  C.  Henry,  President;  J.  West  Martin,  Vice-President;  H.  A. 
Palmer,  Cashier  and  Secretary. 

Board  of  Directors — A.  C.  Henry,  J.  West  Martin,  John  C.  Hays,  E. 
Bigelow,  E.  A.  Haines,  Samuel  Woods,  Chas.  Webb  Howard,  Hiram  Tubbs,  H. 
H.  Haight,  C.  T.  H.  Palmer,  S.  Huff,  W.  W.  Crane,  Jr.,  R.  W.  Kirkham,  R.  S. 
Farrelly,  A.  W.  Bowman,  J.  Mora  Moss. 

The  following  is  extracted  from  the  report  of  this  bank,  October  1,  1871 : 

Capital  stock  paid  in $450,000  00 

Deposits 271,484  43 

Profit  and  loss 10,681  90 

$732,166  33 

Loans,  bonds,  etc $62 1 ,090  07 

Cash  on  hand 76,279  1 1 

Sundries,  including  expense  account,  banking  house, 

vaults,  etc 34,797  15 

$732,166  33 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  45 

NEWSPAPERS. 

There  are  three  newspapers  published  in  Oakland,  as  follows : 

The  Oakland  Daily  Transcript— Issued  every  morning  (Sundays  except- 
ed).    John  Scott,  proprietor. 

The  Oakland  Daily  News  —  Issued  every  morning  (Sundays  excepted). 
William  Gagan,  proprietor. 

The  Evening  Termini — Issued  every  evening  (Sundays  excepted).  By  the 
Termini  Company. 


BROOKLYN. 

Brooklyn  is  situated  eastwardly  from  Oakland,  and  is  bounded  on  two  sides  by 
the  Estuary  of  San  Antonio,  as  will  be  seen  on  the  map.  Its  site  is  higher  than 
that  of  Oakland,  and  is  gently  undulating.  The  bridge  across  the  Estuary,  con- 
necting the  two  places,  is  eighty  feet  wide.  The  town  government  is  organized  as 
follows : 

Town  Officers— H.  A.  Mayhew,  President;  A.  Cannon,  H.  Tubbs,  Charles 
Newton,  H.  Turn  Suden,  Trustees;  J.  F.  Steen,  Clerk  and  Treasurer;  E.  E. 
Webster,  Assessor;  O.  Whipple,  Marshal.  School  Trustees — A.  W.  Swett,  C. 
C.  Knowles,  F.  Buell. 

The  main  street  (Washington)  has  been  graded  and  macadamized  from  the 
Twelfth-street  bridge  to  Park  Avenue.  Many  buildings  have  been  erected  during 
the  past  year.  A  large  first-class  hotel,  with  accommodations  for  three  hundred 
persons,  is  almost  completed,  and  many  of  the  rooms  are  already  engaged.  The 
Contra  Costa  Water  Company  have  laid  their  mains  from  Oakland,  for  the  purpose 
of  supplying  the  town  with  water,  and  hydrants  for  the  use  of  the  Fire  Department 
have  been  placed  at  various  points.  The  mains  of  the  Oakland  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany have  also  been  carried  into  the  town. 

The  School  Department  is  well  organized  and  conducted. 

The  town  has  four  churches — viz :  one  Presbyterian,  Rev.  Oliver  Hemstreet ; 
one  Baptist,  Rev.  T.  C.  Jameson ;  St.  Anthony's  Catholic  Church,  under  the 
supervision  of  Rev.  Father  King;  and  the  Episcopal  Church,  Rev.  Mr.  Wilbur, 
Rector. 

The  absence  of  oaks  in  Brooklyn,  which  add  so  much  to  the  charms  of  Oak- 
land, is  compensated,  in  a  measure,  by  the  picturesque  scenery  on  every  side.  Its 
water  front  on  the  Estuary  of  San  Antonio,  with  the  rail  tracks  along  the  bank, 
gives  it  great  prospective  importance  as  a  location  for  manufactures,  and  already 
there  are  several  manufacturing  establishments  in  successful  operation. 

At  several  places  near  the  Estuary,  overflowing  artesian  wells  have  been 
obtained  by  sinking  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 


ALAMEDA,  AND  THE  WEBSTER -STREET  BRIDGE. 

The  beautifully  situated  and  rapidly  growing  town  of  Alameda,  distant  about 
two  miles  from  Oakland,  has  been  brought  into  direct  communication  with  this  city 
by  the  erection  of  a  draw -bridge,  spanning  San  Antonio  Creek,  from  the  foot  of 
Webster  Street.     From  the  bridge,  a  macadamized  road  has  been  constructed  over 


46  OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 

the  marsh  land,  which  is  nearly  a  mile  in  breadth.  The  progress  of  tne  town  can 
not  fail  to  be  much  accelerated  by  the  completion  of  this  important  thoroughfare  ; 
and  the  advantages  to  be  derived  therefrom  by  the  people  of  both  places  can  not 
be  too  highly  estimated. 

The  peninsula  upon  which  the  town  is  located,  is  about  three  and  a  half  miles 
long  by  one  mile  wide,  comprising  an  area  of  about  2,200  acres  of  remarkably  fer- 
tile soil,  ornamented  by  a  profusion  of  oaks.  An  abundance  of  excellent  water  is 
obtainable  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface. 

Nature  has  made  the  Encinal  a  charming  resort  for  people  of  rural  tastes  ;  and 
during  the  summer  months  its  groves  and  parks  are  visited  by  thousands  from  San 
Francisco  and  neighboring  places.  The  township  contains  about  five  hundred 
families,  most  of  whom  own  the  property  upon  which  they  reside.  In  Alameda, 
there  are  many  delightful  residences,  including  that  of  his  Excellency,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  California. 


THE  LOCAL  RAILROAD  AND  FERRY. 

The  location  of  the  road  and  wharf  is  shown  on  our  map  of  Oakland,  and  a 
description  of  the  wharf  and  slip  may  be  found  in  the  article  quoted  from  the  Alta 
(page  9).  There  is  a  large  depot  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  slip,  for  the  exclusive 
accommodation  of  the  local  passenger  trains,  and  the  facilities  for  the  movement 
of  passengers  are  excellent.  The  local  track  is  of  heavy  "fish-joint"  iron,  and 
runs  up  the  wharf  between  the  through-track  and  the  carriage-way,  with  a  safety- 
rail  on  each  side  where,  otherwise,  there  would  be  a  possibility  of  accident. 

A   STEAM   FIRE-ENGINE. 

As  a  guard  against  fire,  an  elegant  locomotive — the  "White  Eagle" — with  a 
steam-pump  attachment,  a  tank-car,  and  coils  of  hose,  is  kept  constantly  in  readi- 
ness, to  fly  to  this  point  or  that,  with  lightning  speed. 

THE   FERRY    SLIP 

At  San  Francisco,  is  near  the  foot  of  Pacific  street,  but  the  improvements  about 
it  are  inferior.  Provision  has  been  made  for  the  safety  of  passengers,  but  the 
arrangements  for  their  comfort  are  not  suggestive  of  the  civilization  of  1871.  We 
may  assume  the  reason  to  be  that  the  railroad  company  does  not  regard  the  loca- 
tion as  a  permanent  one.  Public  considerations  suggest  that  the  Board  of  State 
Harbor  Commissioners  should  assign  to  the  company  a  place  near  the  foot  of 
Market  Street,  with  guarantees  of  permanency  which  would  justify  the  construc- 
tion of  creditable  improvements  for  the  accommodation,  not  only  of  local  travelers 
but  of  the  thousands  who  visit  us  from  abroad.  We  say  the  foot  of  Market  Street 
because  the  system  of  streets  in  San  Francisco  admits  of  no  other  proper  location. 
From  that  point,  and  that  alone,  the  street  railroads  could  be  made  to  radiate  to 
every  part  of  San  Francisco,  and  equalize  both  convenience  to  travelers,  and  the 
benefits  resulting  to  property. 

RAILROAD   AVENUE. 

Returning  to  Oakland,  we  must  admit  that  Railroad  Avenue,  through  which 
the  local  road  runs,  is  one  of  the  least  attractive  streets  in  our  city.  Nature  has 
done  her  part,  but  the  railroad  company  and  the  property  holders  have  not  done 
theirs.  There  are  six  stations  between  the  Bay  and  the  Estuary,  with  miserable 
sheds  at  five,  and  not  a  respectable  platform  at  one.     The  street  is  not  macadam- 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY.  47 

ized ;  only  a  few  patches  of  sidewalk  are  made  ;  and  travelers  from  San  Francisco, 
or  elsewhere,  are  not  favorably  impressed  with  that  portion  of  our  city.  Arrange- 
ments are  in  progress,  however,  to  remedy  these  defects.  The  city,  the  railroad 
company,  and  the  property  owners  on  the  avenue,  are  cooperating  in  the  matter, 
and  the  sandy,  unattractive,  and  tiresome  street  will  soon  be  transformed  into  a 
beautiful  boulevard. 

THE   BOAT   AND   CAR   ACCOMMODATIONS 

Are  not  surpassed  on  any  similar  line  of  travel.  The  steamer  El  Capitan,  which 
performs  the  ferry  service,  is  about  one  thousand  tons  burden,  and  is  a  stanch, 
powerful,  and  elegantly  constructed  boat.  Moreover,  the  attention  and  forethought 
which  insure  punctuality  and  safety,  are  not  wanting.  The  local  Superintendent  is 
accomplished  in  his  profession,  and  unremitting  in  his  watchfulness.  The  follow- 
ing statistics  of  travel  and  casualties,  attest  his  efficiency,  and  demonstrate 

THE   SAFETY   OF   TRAVELING. 

During  the  year  1870,  the  cars  and  boat  made  twelve  trips  per  day,  each  way. 
The  average  number  of  passengers  to  each  trip  was  one  hundred  and  eighty,  mak- 
ing four  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty  passengers  per  day,  or  over  one  mill- 
ion and  a  half  for  the  year — more  than  ten  times  the  population  of  San  Francisco. 
In  this  vast  movement  of  passengers,  not  one  fatal  accident  occurred.  Only  two 
persons  were  injured,  and  the  Company  was  not  accused  of  responsibility  in  either 
case.  The  Company  has  recently  attached  the  "atmospheric  brake"  to  its  local 
trains,  by  means  of  which  the  engineer  can  stop  his  train  almost  instantly. 

THE   INCREASE   OF   TRAVEL 

Is  perceptible  from  month  to  month,  and  it  is  understood  that  the  Company  will 
soon  multiply  the  trips.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  evident  that  the  time  is  not  distant 
when  crossings  will  be  made  every  ten  minutes ;  and  persons  seeking  homesteads 
can  safely  depend  upon  realizing  this  prediction. 

THE   ESTUARY   ROUTE,       • 

Or  "Creek  Route,"  as  it  is  commonly  called,  is  used  by  boats  and  vessels  carry- 
ing passengers  and  freight  to  and  from  Oakland,  and  Brooklyn.  At  present,  three 
steamers,  and  a  number  of  sailing  craft,  are  plying  on  this  route,  which  is  open  to 
competition.  The  importance  of  the  estuary  is  alluded  to  elsewhere.  Its  improve- 
ment is  a  question  of  not  much  time;  and  those  who  rely  upon  seeing  first-class 
passenger  boats  navigating  its  waters  at  an  early  day,  will  not  be  disappointed. 

A   RECREATIVE   TRIP. 

Thousands  of  people  in  San  Francisco  have  never  visited  this  side  of  the  Bay, 
and  are  in  unblissful  ignorance  of  the  attractions  which  it  offers,  and  of  the  recrea- 
tive and  invigorating  nature  of  the  trips  to  and  from  Oakland.  The  street -car 
trips,  from  the  business  portion  of  San  Francisco  to  or  from  any  point  in  that  city 
where  residence  property  costs  even  double  that  of  residence  property  in  Oakland, 
consume  more  time  than  the  trips  between  San  Francisco  and  Oakland  ;  and  the 
monotony  and  discomfort  of  street-car  travel  make  the  former  appear  twice  as  long 
as  the  latter. 

FARES. 

The  fares  between  Oakland  and  San  Francisco  are  as  follows  :  Monthly  com- 
mutation tickets,  $3;  transient  passengers,  fifteen  cents  for  regular  line,  except 
Sundays,  when  tickets  for  crossing  and  recrossing  are  sold  for  twenty-five  cents. 
The  fare  by  the  opposition  boat— the  C/iin-du-IVan—\s  ten  cents. 


48 


OAKLAND  AND    VICINITY. 


ALAMEDA  COUNTY  STATISTICS, 

The  following  report  of  the  agricultural  products,  improvements,  and 
industries  of  the  county,  for  1870,  is  from  the  books  of  the  County  A 
Edwin  Hunt: 

AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTS. 

Land  inclosed,  acres 91,328     Potatoes,  acres 

Land  cultivated,  acres 117,763     Potatoes,  bushels 

Wheat,  acres 65,991     Sweet  Potatoes,  acres 

Wheat,  bushels 1,017,031      Sweet  Potatoes,  bushels 


Barley,  acres 36,030 

Barley,  bushels 505,670 

Oats,  acres 3,240 

Oats,  bushels 98,460 

Rye,  acres 2,5 10 

P.ye,  bushels 137, 000 

Corn,  acres    562 

Com,  bushels 13,180 

Buckwheat,  acres 17 

Buckwheat,  bushels 204 

Peas,  acres 166 

Peas,  bushels 4,038 

Peanuts,  acres None. 

Peanuts,  pounds None. 

Beans,  acres 599 

Beans,  bushels 5,975 

Castor  Beans,  acres None. 

Castor  Beans,  pounds^ None. 


Onions,  acres. 

Onions,  bushels 

Hay,  acres 

Hay,  tons 

Flax,  acres 

Flax,  pounds 

Hops,  acres 

Hops,  pounds 

Tobacco,  acres 

Tobacco,  pounds 

Beets,  tons 

Turnips,  tons 

Pumpkins  and  Squashes,  tons. 

Butter,  pounds 

Cheese,  pounds 

Wool,  pounds 

Honey,  pounds 


general 
ssessor, 


I,°i3 
82,640 

None. 
None. 

293 
25,108 

7,465 

12,475 

375 

68,600 

5 

1,870 

None. 

None. 

1,295 

32 

1,280 

75,355 
4,218 

215,775 
4,325 


TREES   AND   VINES. 


Apple  Trees 86,615 

Peach  Trees I3>595 

Pear  Trees 35,568 

Plum  Trees 21,264 

Cherry  Trees .' 28, 788 

Nectarine  Trees 962 

Quince  Trees 1,992 

Apricot  Trees 3,566 

Fig  Trees 1,015 

Lemon  Trees 38 

Orange  Trees 23 


Olive  Trees 251 

Prune  Trees , .  4, 1 20 

Mulberry  Trees 120 

Almond  Trees 9,249 

Walnut  Trees J,552 

Gooseberry  Bushes 43,739 

Raspberry  Bushes 725,882 

Strawberry  Vines 5,758,860 

Grape  Vines 136, 148 

Blackberry  Bushes 32,200 


Wines,  gallons 


WINES   AND   LIQUORS. 

. . . .  3,080  I  Brandy,  gallons. 


500 


LIVE   STOCK. 


Horses 6,525 

Mules 733 

Asses 11 

Cows 4,063 

Calves 2,462 

Beef  Cattle 1,881 

Oxen 327 

Total  No.  Cattle,  incl'g  Stock  Cattle . .  16,002 


Sheep 45,276 

Hogs 34,772 

Chickens ll^0SY 

Turkeys 3,791 

Geese •. 971 

Ducks 7,042 

Hives  of  Bees. 318 


IMPROVEMENTS. 


Grist  Mills t 

Steam  Power 

Run  of  Stone 

Water  Power 

•Run  of  Stone 


7 

5 

24 

2 

3 

Barrels  of  Flour  made 36,470 

Bushels  of  Corn  ground 21,496 

Railroads 4 

Miles  in  length 90^ 

Land  cultivated  in  1870,  acres 112,750 


Acres  of  Wheat  sown  in  1S70.  .  . 
Acres  of  Barley  sown  in  1870. .  . 
Assessed  value  of  Real  Estate  .  . 
Assessed  value  of  Improvements. 
Assessed  value  Personal  Property 
Total  assessed  value  Property. .  . : 

Estimated  total  population 

Registered  voters 

Poll-tax  collected    

MITRRSITY  of  CALIHO 

AT 
ANGE 


58,750 

41,075 

.$8,084, 150 

.$1,532,560 

.$2,164,671 

jii, 786,381 

24,000 

4,200 

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